


Curious Mermaid

by AdriannaSharp



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Senshi & Shitennou Mini Bang 2019, charlie is chaotic evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdriannaSharp/pseuds/AdriannaSharp
Summary: Ami x Zoi Ancient Greece AU. On what was supposed to be a relaxing break, Sophus has a chance encounter with a creature who will change his life forever.
Relationships: Mizuno Ami & Zoisite
Comments: 33
Kudos: 13
Collections: Senshi & Shitennou Reverse Mini Bang 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My second piece for the Senshi Shitennou Mini Bang. I decided to challenge myself with a pairing that's not Minako x Kunzite (shocking, I know) and got the opportunity to work on an amazing Ami x Zoisite piece that Koamaterasuhime drew
> 
> Thank you again to this amazing, wonderful community of people. I would have never finished without your encouragement. I ESPECIALLY couldn't have finished without my wonderful, amazing beta, Cluckster, who is an absolute angel and helped me with so many ideas to get this fic going. Writing these two was so much harder than I expected and I hope you all enjoy the end result.

It was a beautiful October day and Sophus was thankful for it as he walked through the grove. Zeus must have heard his prayers and seen to clear skies. There were still a few weeks left in harvest time and they had to gather what they could before the weather turned. 

Workers folded up cloths and carried the day’s olives to the store house for the workers to sort through and decide which to sell fresh and which would be crushed into oil. But the day was over, which meant that Sophus did his daily walk through the grove, just like his father always did.

Before long, he was joined by the two workers who were also his closest friends. Nicephorous, better known as Nic, was entirely made up of brown curls, muscles, and bad jokes while Jason was leaner with pale hair and had enough patience to work shifts with Nicephorous on an almost daily basis, which meant that he should have had a temple devoted his never ending patience alone.

“No. I refuse to answer another one of you stupid jokes.”

“Yes but this is the last one of the day. You know I always save the best for the end of the day.”

“No.”

“Fine. Sophus will enjoy it.” Nicephorous wrapped an arm around Sophus’ shoulder, pulling on his long, blonde curls. “Why shouldn’t you invite a tree into your house?”

Sophus sighed. “Why?”

“Because they never know when to leaf.”

Nicephorous grinned that stupid grin that made it impossible to be mad at him but not quite enough for Sophus to laugh at the joke. Nic had been doing this for years, ever since they were children and their fathers worked the olive farm together.

“You do this every day. We never laugh. Why must you continue?”

“In hopes that one day, you will come to the realization that puns are the best form of humour.”

A tree caught Sophus’ eye and he walked over, his two friends in tow. He ran a hand over the bark, noting a large gouge and soft bark inside. He turned to Jason.

“Take care of that before you leave, would you?”

It was routine at this point and Jason knew exactly how to patch the rot. “Of course.”

“The harvests looked plentiful today.”

“Naturally,” Nicephorous said. “You have the best team in all of Greece.”

“And some of the finest trees,” Jason added.

It was true, Sophus knew it. His trees were the envy of the neighbouring farms. They always had been. And Sophus would see that they always would.

“We’re going to the theatre tonight. You should come too.”

“No. That’s alright. I plan to look over today’s harvest before the sorting tomorrow.”

Nicephorous let out a breath through his nose. “Why? You have people for that, you know.”

Before Sophus could say anything, Jason interjected. “I believe what Nic is trying to say is that you have perfectly capable people you hired to do that work. Why do you need to check it as well?”

“Because I will be at the market tomorrow and I won’t be able to check them for myself.”

“That wasn’t a proper reason,” Nic muttered.

Sophus elbowed him in the side but, being Nic, he barely even noticed. It didn’t help that Sophus barely came up to Nic’s shoulder. He suspected he would need a full machine to just knock Nic off his balance.

The three of them argued and ribbed each other as they exited the grove but they all came to a stop when they saw the carriage in front of the house. Sophus smiled wide and ran the rest of the way, Nic and Jason close behind.

Sophus burst through the front door and, sure enough, his old friend already had a handful of olives that he was popping into his mouth.

“Making yourself at home already, I see.”

“You always say to do so in your letters.”

Sophus chuckled and pulled his friend into an embrace. “It’s good to see you Khalil.”

“So we finally get to meet the famous man from distance lands,” Jason said as he and Nic entered.

Sophus hadn’t seen his friend in many years and noticed that Khalil was almost as tall as Nic as they greeted each other and made their introductions. Only Khalil was much more noticeable as a traveler with his dark skin and pale hair.

The four men settled around the table and Nic was the first to speak. “So I can see why Sophus is friends with you but what do you have in common with this scrawny farmer?”

Khalil laughed. “I met Sophus almost a decade ago now. I was passing through town and had the great pleasure of trying his family’s olives. They were easily the best I have ever had and we spoke for quite some time. I requested as many olives as he could spare to be sent with me.”

“Of course. We know that part but why did you keep in touch?” Nic had a joking tone to his voice but Sophus chose to ignore him as he spoke.

“We didn’t have olives for anyone else for almost two days to fulfill your order. You’re fortunate that you did not have to face the hoard of people demanding olives.”

“I think you’re exaggerating.”

“I think you have the wrong handle of things. We’re Greek. You do not remove olives from a Grecian. There were mobs in the street.”

“You’re the one who chose to sell them all to me.”

Before Sophus could retort, he was silenced by an olive thrown at his face and Nic was immediately seen to be the perpetrator by the grin on his face.

“So what brings you here?” Jason asked, cutting off what was bound to be an immediate brawl.

“I’m on my way to pick up my bride.”

Sophus choked on the cheese he just put in his mouth. “Your bride?”

“Soon to be. She’s from Cyprus. I’ll be taking her home on my way back. It will be a well arranged marriage and I hear that she is quite beloved by her people. My people will hopefully love her as well.”

“On your way back? Greece is hardly on your way from the desert.”

Khalil grinned. “Well, I was coming all this way. It seemed like a waste not to come and see you.”

Sophus winced at the kick Nic threw at him. “He came all this way and you didn’t think to ask him why he was coming?”

Sophus kicked back but Nic moved his leg just before impact. “I would like to see you send a letter to his kingdom in time for his arrival.”

“I also thought I would give you this in person.” Khalil reached into his bag and handed three large stacks of paper across the table.

“Three? Really?”

“They’re all yours. Just tell me what you think of them. And I hope you read them faster than the last one I sent.”

Sophus looked down, his thumb running back and forth over the cover. “It’s just…”

“Yes. You mentioned in your letters that life here became rather busy. I hope that’s not all your life revolves around. I hope you picked up a brush since my last letter.” Khalil took Sophus’ silence as his answer. “Your work is truly beautiful Sophus. If I could, I would have you in my lands decorating palace walls.””

“It’s just…this work is important.”

“We know,” Jason said with a smile so gentle, Sophus wondered if he was seeing things.

-

The rest of the night was spent in revelry, games, and conversation. Nic and Jason left a bit early, giving the two men some time. Khalil spent the time making a few more remarks about Sophus’ art skills but he brushed them off.

Khalil even encouraged Sophus to show him his old work. He agreed, begrudgingly, and tried to change the subject every time it was brought up.

Instead, he tried to distract Khalil with his daily routine. Guest or not, there were still things to do on the farm. Khalil accompanied him to the market, on his daily duties, and walks through the grove. They enjoyed each other’s company, talking and laughing about all the things that would take far too much space in a letter.

It was far too soon when they said goodbye and despite trying to push Khalil’s words out of his mind, they repeated in Sophus’ mind. He glanced out the window. The trees swayed gently in the breeze and he imagined his father out there, examining the care and attention that Sophus gave them.

His eyes glanced to a closet in the corner as he thought about the art supplies he packed away. He had an urge to unpack them, to see them again. But he couldn’t. He had to give that up.

He stood up and opened the closet door before he knew what he was doing. He forced himself to ignore the easel and paints but he reached for his old notebook and thumbed through it. A pang of nostalgia ran through his chest.

He closed the closet, keeping the notebook in hand. A voice in his head told him to put it back but he couldn’t seem to let it go. Khalil’s words of encouragement repeated. They were getting harder to ignore. He placed it with the books Khalil left him and wondered if it would be the worst thing in the world if he left, just for a few hours.

Sophus’ feet splashed against the water as he pushed his raft out. It was an old thing and had splinters in the most unfortunate places but it did the job well enough.

After a walk through his workers, Sophus announced that he would be away for a few hours to do a bit of reading. Nic and Jason were almost gleeful and encouraged him to leave before he changed his mind.

Then, after many assertions that things would be fine, he went to his grotto. It was his favourite place to go as a boy. Nic and Jason often joined when they were children. Sophus called it a place of adventure and the boys would pretend to be sailors on perilous seas. But now, underneath the cliff and surrounded by natural stone columns, he tried to recall the last time he came here. It had been years. Not since the day he needed a getaway, when he couldn’t look at the farm without his eyes growing wet.

But he had grown in that time. Several drawings in his notebook were of this place, especially when a ship passed by or a fish breached the water.

He had that notebook now, as well as the books Khalil left with him. He would enjoy this morning. He kept telling himself that.

He opened a book but as he read, his mind would wander back to the farm. Was everything going well? Would they need him? Should he go back?

Then he remembered Nicephorous’ words that if came back early, he would be locked in his room as punishment. Really. He was more than the petulant child Nic treated him as. But the very fact that he was considering it meant that he must need this break more than he thought he did.

He turned his attention back to the book he was reading. It was quite fascinating and Khalil had certainly chosen something to try and keep him invested as much as possible. He nibbled on the bread he packed as he read Yahya Ibn Adi’s thoughts on Greek text. Sophus was grateful he put his thoughts in Greek as well as Arabic.

Satisfied that he must have accomplished quite enough for the day, he glanced at the horizon, expecting the sun to be out of view by now.

He was wrong.

The sun had barely moved. But that was impossible. Apollo must have been slacking in his duties.

Should he chance going back? Would Nic truly berate him and lock him in his room?

Yes. Yes he would.

He turned to his notebook instead. Surely something about the view would stimulate something in him. He sat there, poised, ready for inspiration to strike. But he was motionless. Birds flew by, ships sailed towards the horizon but he felt nothing. There was no pull, no urgent need to capture what he saw.

Finally, he set the notebook aside and laid back, which he immediately regretted. He pulled the splinter out of his neck and tossed it into the water. He aligned himself out of the way of the splinters and laid back down. A rest. Perhaps that was what he needed.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to focus on the sound of the waves, the gentle caw of the birds.

He tried. He certainly tried before opening his eyes again, determined that this was ludicrous and he should just return home, Nic’s threats be damned to Zeus.

He sat up and froze. There was a woman in the water. And she was climbing onto his raft.


	2. Chapter 2

Time stopped. He blinked. She was still there, her head and torso out of the water, leaning slightly on the raft, and a hand outstretched.

She was beautiful. With short hair the colour of the ocean, eyes the colour of the ocean’s depths, and skin as pale as he had ever seen, he was dumbstruck.

Then he remembered he was quite a ways from shore. Unless, had she jumped from the cliffs above them? But why? Why would she do that?

He came to life faster than she did and he lunged forward to take her wrists in his hands.

“Who are you? What are you doing out here?”

She said nothing in return and only fought against his grip but he held tight. He tried to pull her aboard but she splashed and wriggled, surprisingly strong. He yanked and pulled her ever so slightly onto his raft. But when he did so, what he saw caused him to loosen his grip. She took advantage of it, pulled away and disappeared under the waves.

Sophus threw himself to the edge of the raft. Surely she would come up again. She had to breathe, after all. He stared at the water around him but she didn’t resurface.

That was impossible. She had to come up for air. No person could stay underneath the water that long. Then, the back of his mind reminded him of what he saw when he yanked her onto the raft.

Scales. Bright blue, iridescent scales that caught the bit of sunlight in the grotto. He only saw them for a moment. He tried to tell himself that he was seeing things. But he saw them, he knew he did.

And still, she wasn’t coming up for air.

What was she?

-

Sophus paddled back to land as quickly as he could. He needed to feel earth under his feet again. The water felt too unstable, too deep now. He needed to stand on something solid.

He tied his raft off and ran to the cliff. He sat near the edge, but didn’t dare look over, and tried to think rationally about what just happened.

A woman appeared in the middle of the water but she was nowhere near shore. He didn’t know any women who could swim that far. It was only rocky ledges between the grotto and the shore. She tried to get onto his raft. She didn’t speak and when confronted, she tried to escape. Well, she did escape.

What did she want? She was on the other edge of the raft, near his pile of books. It didn’t seem like she wanted to harm him. She would have gone for his head if she did. She didn’t seem to have any weapons on her. Not even any long nails or protruding sharp teeth. And when he grabbed her, her first instinct was to flee. She was on the defensive. And those scales. If he thought she was at all human, those scales proved him wrong.

He heard stories of creatures who lived in the sea but he never imagined they would live so close to the shore.

The look on her face was what lingered. It seemed imprinted in his mind and despite staying on that cliff for quite some time, it wouldn’t leave his mind. His fingers opened his notebook before he realized what they were doing and he found himself drawing the curves of her face, the wet wisps of her hair. He drew her cheekbones, her bright eyes, her thin arms. He smudged it so the lighting cast the shadows on her face and etched in light drips of water.

Before long, he had a full rendering of her, at least what he had seen of her. When it was completed, he simply stared. He couldn’t remember the last time he drew anything with such ferocity.

He attempted to rationalize her, discover where she could have come from but his mind kept coming up blank.

He needed answers.

-

The market was bustling and so was his stand. After sending Khalil along with more than his fair share of olives, the locals were demanding more, as if they knew he was in shorter supply than usual.

Fortunately, his smooth voice and conversational skills helped to smooth over any customers who were particularly upset. He complimented Nymphadora on her new hairstyle, asked Leon how he was doing with the repairs on his home, and offered an extra handful to few particularly irate customers.

As the bustle of irritated customers diminished, the fishermen began trickling back into town and he was thankful for it.

They didn’t need much prodding. They were all eager to tell their tales of losing crewmates to sirens, or narrow escapes from Charybdis, or even sightings of Scylla. But, of course, these were not the creatures he sought to learn more about. When he asked about creatures with human features, he was only told more stories of sirens. He considered the theory, but it didn’t seem to add up. Sirens were not defensive. They would not flee. They would set out to capture their prey. And that wasn’t what she did at all.

Eventually, the crowds began to thin as people went home and he followed suit. After packing up, he was greeted at home by Nic and Jason.

“You know you don’t live here, right? You can go home at the end of the day.”

“We thought you might want some company tonight,” Jason said.

“And would the lack of food at your own homes be related to why you need to stay?”

“Well, I guess you’ve seen through us,” Nic said, slapping Sophus on the back. He was already halfway to the door. “Do you have any of Dorian’s bread left? I could really use some.”

Sophus followed the two men into his house and rolled his eyes. The three all gathered food and sat around the table, oddly quiet.

“How was the market today?” Jason asked, finally breaking the quiet.

“It went well. Oddly enough, I even had some left over. I’ll tell Sebastian to use those first when he’s at the booth tomorrow.

“So you’re not going to the market tomorrow?”

“No. We need to start production on the next batch of oil. I’ll be more useful here.”

Even Nic looked like he was treading carefully. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather take a day for yourself?”

Sophus thought about the last time he took time for himself. He didn’t exactly want a repeat of being possibly attacked by a sea creature.

“No. Why?”

They didn’t quite meet Sophus’ eyes. Instead they looked at their food

“Nothing,” Nic said. “It’s nothing. So we finally have enough olives again for oil production. That’s great.”

There was something about his tone. Too cheerful, even for Nic.

“Yes. We need to get the next batch of oil production started before winter starts to set in. It…” Sophus slumped. The realization he had about the following day hit him and it took him a moment to collect his words. “Tomorrow. I completely forgot.”

Nic patted him on the back, a bit harder than necessary. “We wondered if you remembered.”

It was the first time in five years that Sophus forgot the anniversary of his father’s death. Normally he was a bundle of nerves in the week leading up to it. It had become less with each year but still, he never forgot about it entirely.

Jason placed a hand on Sophus’ shoulder. “We can take care of the start of oil production if you want to go see him. We’ll be fine here, right Nick?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. Go see him. Tell him some stories. You know he’d stretch an ear to hear you if he can. Maybe Persephone would let him leave for a day. I hear she’s a softie.”

“No,” Sophus replied. “There’s no coming back from Hades. But thank you for the thought.”

The three men ate in silence. He should go see where his father was buried. Maybe he should tell him stories. He wondered what to even say. Maybe he should tell him the story about the sea creature on his raft. It would be nice to talk about it. He was starting to wonder if she was just a crazed dream. Then, as he remembered her face and her position, it hit him. She wasn’t trying to attack him at all. Her target was his stories, his books.

The idea was ludicrous. But still, it circled in his mind. If he was right, perhaps he could lure her out again.

-

Sophus wondered if he was going a bit mad. After spending some time at his father’s resting place, he was down at the water again and pushing the raft back out. Ideas ran through his head all night. She was after his books but he couldn’t explain why. What use would a creature of the sea even have for books? Did she want the paper or was it the stories themselves that she wanted?

There was only one way to find out.

He arrived in the grotto a little past midday. He tried to be there the same time as before but he wasn’t sure what to do once he got there. Would she even be there again? He stared around him and realized she could be anywhere. She could be behind any of the stone columns around him. By Zeus, she could even be underneath him.

He glanced down but all he could see was blue and a few schools of small fish. He sat back, his senses on edge. He waited to hear a splash, a ripple, anything that could suggest her appearance. His head whipped around at every sound.

He tried to force himself to relax, to open a book.

Eventually he did. He read and he tried to focus on the words in front of him but every sentence had him glancing up again for any sign of her. Should he try to speak to her? Would she even understand? No. That was giving away his hand too quickly. If he wanted to catch her again, it would be best to replicate the last situation.

Then he remembered that he was sleeping, or at least trying to sleep, when she approached last. Just in case she was watching, he stretched his arms and forced a yawn. He laid down, facing the books, with one eye ever so slightly open. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there for. But he did know that he had a splinter digging into his hip. It was becoming rather annoying, actually.

The waves moved underneath him, swaying the raft. He tried to listen but could hear nothing out of the ordinary and the books remained where they were. He stayed there for quite some time, hoping she would appear.

But she never did.

He hoped he would have better luck tomorrow.

-

He did not have better luck the next day. He tried the same time, the same routine but still she did not show herself. Was she aware that he was faking it? Did she have that kind of intelligence?

The third and fourth day brought no more results than the first two. He had to make up excuses as to why he had to leave the farm so often now. At first Nic and Jason encouraged it, but on day five, they cast him curious glances as he walked away.

On day six, the frustration began to set in. Why wouldn’t she show herself again? He forced himself to face the very real possibility that he imagined her. Maybe he really did fall asleep and the whole thing was a dream. But when would he have woken up? After she slipped away, he immediately paddled back to shore. For that, he was most certainly awake. And the way she looked. His father told him stories of sea creatures as a child but Sophus always pictured them differently. They would look hideous, with features that only looked vaguely human. They would have bulbous fish eyes and gills on the sides of their face. But she, she looked so human. If it wasn’t for the scales at her hips, he would have thought she was an ordinary woman. Well, an ordinary woman who could swim quite the distance.

He pulled out his notebook again where he sketched her. How could he have imagined her?

He slammed it shut again and wracked his mind to think of another way to lure her out.

“Are you out there?” he called out before he could think. “I’m not sure if you’re really out here or not but please, _please _show yourself. I just want to know if I’ve gone mad or not.” His voice softened and he spoke more to himself. “Athena give me strength to see this for what it is.”

He looked back over the waves but nothing changed. He slumped back down and looked at the pile of books. “What do you want with these?”

In a moment of what he would later describe as a spark of insanity, he took on of the books in hand and began reading aloud.

-

It was day 10. Sophus had been reading aloud for over three days. He knew he would look like a fool if he were discovered, reading to himself in a grotto but, fortunately, he didn’t care. The last few days consumed him. He needed to try something else and this was the only thing he could think of.

There were times when he considered giving up but then he would see something that he couldn’t quite explain. A rock kicked up nearby, a small splash that was too large to be a fish. Those were the things that he thought of to keep him going.

Nic and Jason still said nothing to his face but he could feel their looks of worry on his back. He thought about telling them but he was sure he would sound like a mad man. Maybe he would tell them in the future, but for now, he just wanted to be sure of his own mind.

He read aloud a story of adventure and daring, one of his favourites he heard when he was young. “Leonidas paid no attention to the crashing of waves against his ship. He had to cut through the waves. He had to find out what lay on the island on the horizon.

“His crewmate came up beside him. ‘We’re fortunate to have come this far. But when we land we should keep a weather eye out. I hear that creatures on this island can be mischievious. We should-’”

“Mischievous.”

Sophus’ eyes snapped up. That was another voice. A woman’s voice, soft and firm who…corrected his pronunciation?

“Hello?” He was answered with silence. “Please, don’t leave. Show yourself.”

The grotto echoed so he couldn’t be sure of where the voice came from so he looked all around him, hoping for a glimpse of her.

Then, she appeared from behind a stone column a stone’s throw away. She was just as he remembered her. Bright hair, pale skin, and a hint of fear in her eyes. Her body below her shoulders was obscured by water but he thought he saw movement where her legs should be.

“It’s alright. I’m not here to hurt you. You understand that, don’t you? If you understand what I’m saying enough to correct me, you understand me, don’t you?”

She paused for a long moment before saying, “Yes.”

He stared at her. She was stunning. He wasn’t sure how long he stared at her like a fool but he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming so he pinched himself.

She was still there.

He dipped his hand in the water, propelling his raft forward. He wanted to get closer to her again. But as he moved towards her, she moved back in equal distance.

“Fair enough,” he said, bringing the raft to a stop. She floated there, eyeing him with more curiousity than fear. “My name is Sophus. Thank you for showing yourself. I was beginning to think I had gone mad, that my mind invented you.”

She nodded and looked down. Clearly this conversation wasn’t going to move forward very quickly.

“You must have been rather invested in that last story. Would you like me to continue?”

A shadow of a smile appeared on her face and she nodded.

-

The next day, Sophus walked back down to the grotto, much to his own surprise. He read to her for hours the previous day. Originally, he did it to be kind. He only wanted to know if the woman he saw was real or if he fabricated her. But when she showed herself and showed so much interest in more of the story, he felt compelled to continue. She listened and he would catch the odd expression of hers out of the corner of his eye in response to something that happened. When his throat couldn’t take much more, he told her that he had to leave but after seeing the forlorn expression on her face, he found himself offering to come back.

She smiled and nodded before they parted ways. She never did say another word. It was truly the strangest afternoon of his life.

He wondered if today would be much the same.

After untying his raft and paddling out to the grotto, he realized that he had no idea where she was. He didn’t know her name or where she lived, if she lived anywhere in particular.

Should he call out for her? But what would he say?

Before he could decide, her head peeked out from behind one of the stone columns.

She swam closer but kept the same distance as the day before, far out of arm’s reach but close enough to read each other’s faces.

“Hello,” he greeted. “It’s nice to see you again.”

She made a slight nod in greeting but said nothing.

“You can talk can’t you? After all, you corrected me yesterday.”

She clamped her lips and looked away.

“Shy? Is that it?” She still averted her gaze and Sophus took that as a yes. “Well, in that case, I can just read. I take it you would like us to pick up where we left off yesterday?”

She nodded again and Sophus continued the story of Leonidas and his daring adventures. He read about his perilous journey across the sea, the creatures he fought, and his return home with all the treasures his family desired. She hung on every word and Sophus found it rather fascinating.

“The end,” he finished. He set the book aside and looked back at her. Her eyes were wide and Sophus couldn’t help but smile. He pulled out his oar and tried once again to paddle closer to her. But fear filled her eyes and she retreated in equal measures.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He set the paddle back down. “Is that better?”

She nodded, fear leaving her eyes but not completely disappearing.

“Did you enjoy it?”

She nodded and held out her hands like an open book.

“Would you like another one?”

Again, she nodded and he realized he needed to ask a question that couldn’t be answered with non-verbal gestures.

“What kind of book would you like next?”

She seemed to catch what he was doing but she wasn’t defeated so easily. Instead, she pointed at him.

“You’d like me to choose?” She nodded and Sophus found himself laughing. “I suppose I could arrange that. I can come back tomorrow, if that would be alright.”

She nodded again and he couldn’t help but smile.

-

Sophus couldn’t be more ecstatic if Demeter herself personally came down to bless his trees. The last week had been something truly fantastical. Before he left that day she showed herself, he told her he would come back and hoped that she would return as well. He returned every day since and so did she. They spent their days in stories and he read to her each day until the sun began to fade.

After checking in with his workers, he made his excuses to go down to the water.

He pushed out his raft, the bag of books already tossed onto it. He paddled around the bend and into his grotto. As he came under the cliff, she appeared from under the water. She was still a fair distance away and she slowly swam closer, stopping a little farther than arm’s reach.

She still didn’t say much. Only a few words here and there to say what couldn’t be said by shaking or nodding her head. He accepted what he could get and smiled when she came into view.

“Hello,” he said. As expected, she merely gave a nod in response. “Since we finished our other book, I have a few to choose from today. Which one would you like to try?” He held the books up and waited.

“The middle one,” she said.

He was glad she was speaking more. Just a few days ago, she would simply point and there was a bit of confusion about which book she was referring to. But she was inching closer and using more words. Sophus hoped that one day she would speak a whole sentence.

He began reading and she listened with rapt attention. He would peek up on occasion and catch the look on her face. He could see her mind working, putting the pieces together. It was fascinating to watch and, more than once, he simply stopped reading to watch her. Then she would make a motion with her hands that urged him to keep reading. He laughed each time it happened.

After some time, Sophus stopped reading, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked over at her and hoped that he wouldn’t drive her away with what he was about to ask.

She made that same motion with her hands but he tried to ignore it. “I have a question for you first.”

She backed up ever so slightly and he held up a hand to hopefully assure her that it was nothing to worry about.

“I just wanted to ask you your name. You’ve been so elusive and say so little. I just wanted to know what to call you.”

Her eyes widened but after a long moment, relaxed again. She pulled her lips in and looked away, as if remembering something long ago forgotten. “Astra.”

“It’s nice to meet you Astra. It’s a beautiful name. Where are you from?”

She paused again, like she always did before she spoke. It was as if she was calculating everything before she said it. “Here.”

“Here?” he echoed, closing the book. “That’s rather vague. Are you talking about this town? This body of water? You’re a creature of the sea aren’t you?” Astra began breathing faster and Sophus backtracked. “I’m sorry if that was too much. You don’t have to answer. I just want you to know that you can trust me.”

Whatever he said was evidently the wrong thing to say. Her breathing increased again. She backed up, eyes wide again in fear. Sophus threw the book aside and reached out for her but she was too far away. She whipped her head around and dove under the water, her bright blue tail curving into the air before it disappeared below the gentle waves.


	3. Chapter 3

Astra propelled herself through the water. It was something she did often when her anxiety overworked. She gained speed as she swam. It was soothing and helped to calm her overactive mind.

Why did he have to use those words? Why did he ask her to trust him? Why did she let those words get to her? She hated it. Those words brought up her worst memories and she cursed her father’s name, not caring what it might bring upon her.

She wished for the hundredth time that she was able to keep her composure, to not let those words have any power over her. But it had been years and, even on someone else’s tongue, they pulled up memories of when her life fell apart.

She wished she could explain to Sophus what those words meant to her and why she fled his company but conversation had become such a foreign concept to her over the years. Things had been going so well. He was patient and intelligent and curious. The last few days had been wonderful and she so looked forward to their meetings.

And the stories. She longed for knowledge and the written word and even though they came as books of adventure, she yearned for it all the same.

She could see his raft in the distance and swam towards it but stopped short and floated below the surface. It had been three days since she left his company and he came back every day since. She wanted to approach him and tell her she was sorry but every time she got close, she froze.

What if he didn’t want to hear her excuses? What could she say to apologize?

She swam a distance away but kept the raft in her sight. She surfaced behind a stone column. It was one of her preferred places to watch him from before she revealed herself to him. She could see him through a hole in the stone.

He sat up, one leg was sprawled out and the other was bent at the knee. He rested his crossed arms on his knee and stared out. She thought he looked somewhere between bored and frustrated.

She longed to reach out to him but as quickly as the thought came, it froze and she recoiled. She noticed the books next to him and sighed.

He was quite the splendid reader. His intonations were pleasant and he even put on voices for different characters. It was lovely to listen to.

The corrected pronunciation she blurted out had been a complete mistake. It was a game she played with her mother when she was young. Her mother told her stories and, in an effort to raise a well-educated young woman, would deliberately mispronounce things and Astra would cut in with the correct pronunciation.

Correcting him was purely out of that old habit and she realized how comfortable she felt hearing his voice. It brought her the best week she could remember in a long time.

The corrected pronunciation brought thoughts of her mother but she tried to push them away. It was only natural that Chronos and Hades would have claimed her by now. She made peace long ago with the fact that her mother was likely dead but to have the memories of her burst forward never hurt any less.

Movement caught her attention and Sophus put a paddle back in the water. He soon disappeared from view and Astra found herself full of regret once again that she didn’t approach him.

She didn’t realize how hard she was gripping a rock beside her until it cut her hand. She threw it at a column across from her, where it left a small gouge in the rock.

That was when she got an idea.

-

It had been four days since he had seen Astra. He came down to the grotto every day, hoping she would show herself but so far, nothing. Not even a glimpse. He ran over the words in his mind, wondering what he could have said to force her to flee like that.

He supposed he might have been a bit pushy. She had been rather withdrawn, after all. He barely asked her any questions before that. Only things like “What book would you like today?” or “Did you enjoy it?”

They had spoken so little but he felt a bond with her that he couldn’t explain. He loved seeing her brain put the ideas together. One day she chose the writings of a new philosopher who was causing quite the stir and he could see as her mind connected the dots with things she agreed with and see her face turn sour with things she disagreed with.

She was fascinating, despite his lack of knowledge of her. He wanted to know more. He wanted her to trust him.

He reached the grotto, tucked his paddle aside, and got comfortable. It was difficult with the splinters. Of course, they were there when he read to her but he didn’t seem to notice them as much then. Now, he noticed every jab the raft pushed into him.

He thought about the farm. He was there for the morning, like he had been every morning lately but he always left before work finished for the day. He tried to push away the heaviness on his chest but it weighed down on him. When his father died, he promised himself he would take care of the farm and continue his fathers’ legacy. But now, here he was, chasing a dream. Three days and nothing from her. Should he continue to chase after her even though she seemed to want nothing to do with him anymore? Should he divide his life between two such diametric opposites giving so little to each?

He pulled out the drawing of her. He couldn’t keep chasing her if she didn’t want to be found. Then and there, he vowed that this day would be the last. If she didn’t reveal herself today, he would give up.

Hours passed in a haze of monotony. When the sun began to set, he decided he should go home. He stared at the stone columns around him and the water beneath him. He hoped she would show herself at the last moment. But still, the grotto remained as silent as it had been all day.

He paddled away and took one last look over his shoulder, to say goodbye. He didn’t think he could return here without the memories returning.

He turned back to paddle home but something caught his eye. Did he…

He turned around, paddling back.

There were etchings in the column. From a distance he thought…

He paddled closer and crashed into the column, desperate to see if his eyes lied to him. He traced the etchings with his hand. “I’m sorry” was written clear as day on the column.

His eyes snapped up to look all around him. “Astra?!” The water was still and his eyes snapped back to the etching. It was new, wasn’t it? Or perhaps he never noticed it. But who would possibly write those words here?

“Astra!” he called out again. As his eyes swept over the water, he stared at the columns, wondering if he would see her hiding behind one. That was when he saw them.

More etchings. The same message scratched into the rock of every column in the grotto. Dozens of them. They couldn’t have been there before without him seeing.

Could they?

“Astra, please. If you’re there, please come out. I see your messages. I’m sorry too. I don’t know why I didn’t say it earlier. I’m sorry I pushed you. If there’s anything I can do…please…”

He crumpled in on himself. This thread. This thread was there, connecting to her. If only she would grab on.

“Sophus?”

His eyes snapped back up. There she was. Her hair was soaked and clinging to her face. Her eyes were full of regret.

She slowly propelled herself closer to him. It was the first time she said his name. The sound was beautiful.

“I’m-I’m so sorry. It was me. It wasn’t you.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. Instead she stared at the raft he sat upon. And she was close, closer than she ever had been. Sophus imagined that if he stretched his arm out, he could touch her. But he held back. “I couldn’t approach you. It was too intimidating. There was too much to lose.” She seemed to realize she was rambling and covered her eyes for a moment to regain any semblance of composure. “It wasn’t you. You did nothing wrong. It’s me. I overreacted. I would like to tell you more. I’m not good at this. I’m sorry and I have trouble expressing myself. It’s…” she trailed off, finally looking him in the eyes.

He smiled at her, which was, logically, ridiculous. He barely knew her. But the fact that she came back made his heart lighten more than he could ever remember.

“That’s the most I’ve ever heard you say. And I hope to hear more.”

-

A few days passed since their dramatic apologies. Before he left that day, Sophus promised he would return. And return they both did, every day since.

Astra inched closer and closer each day until one day, she hung her fingers on the edge of his raft. She settled after a few moments, avoiding the splinters. He pulled out two different books for her to choose from. They finished the last book the previous day and he wanted to know what she wanted to hear next.

Her words came slowly again but she spoke more and more. Finally, they reached a point where she spoke to him with full sentences and they could hold a full conversation. And he relished in every word that passed her mouth.

“Which one would you like today?”

Her eyes were wide and inquisitive as she considered it. “What’s this one?” she asked, pointing to the one in his right hand. She was careful as she gestured so as to not splatter the book with water.

He looked at the cover and smirked. “I hoped you would know that. After all it’s the book you tried to take from me the first time we met.”

Her lips tightened. “Is it?”

“Yes. And I suppose I should apologize for that day. I acted like quite the brute.”

She looked down. “Well, I did try to steal your book.” She gasped. “I’m so sorry. I never apologized for that.”

“You’re forgiven,” he said with a smirk. “But I did wonder what you would do with it.”

“I would try and keep it in a dry place. I know a few spots that would be suitable.”

“I’m sure you do. Now this story is actually from a friend of mine in the Middle East. It’s by a philosopher who has studied Greek literature. He did his own translations but sadly I am unable to read those. But I can read his thoughts on the works.”

“You have a friend in that part of the world?”

“I do. They have brilliant minds who probe the human condition. I have only glanced through this book a bit but it seems quite promising.”

“That sounds perfect.”

There was a delight to her face that he hadn’t seen before. “So I take it you’re not one for high adventure and romance?”

“I have never been one for fantasy.”

“So says the girl with scales.”

Her eyes flashed and he wondered if he crossed a line. But her eyes turned gentle again. She took a moment but then seemed to take the teasing remark as he meant it.

“It is true. There are things that are strange, things that we cannot understand. But we can understand them in time. I believe there is more truth in what we don’t understand than in tales of dashing heroes and sweeping romances.”

Sophus smiled. “That sounds very sensible.” Was she blushing? She turned her head away so he couldn’t be quite sure. “Well then. Shall we begin?”

-

“You read quite well, you know.”

Sophus looked up. “Do I?”

She still hung to the edge of the raft, her chin now resting on her hands. “Yes. Some who read aloud are quite dry. You have excellent inflections as you read.”

Sophus wondered where she would have heard others read. Did she hear others read while hiding in one of her spots? Did she have someone who read to her? He wanted to ask, but thought better of it. “Thank you. It’s actually because of my father."

“Oh?” She lifted her head in interest.

“He used to tell me stories. He injected quite a bit of drama into it too. I like to think that if he wasn’t a farmer, he would have been on the stage. He enjoyed the theatrics of a story.”

He suspected Astra noted the past tense he used because her voice became low. “I’m sorry to hear that. He sounds like a wonderful person.”

“He was. He passed far too early for a man so well loved. People often said his vivacity for life was why his olives became so renowned.”

“An olive farmer? Well, that does explain why you always bring them.” As if to accentuate her point, she plucked an olive from the napkin that acted as a plate. “These are wonderful. Thank you for bringing them.”

“You’re welcome. I try to live up to his legacy.” He picked an olive for himself and examined it. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever live up to him.”

“You should be proud of yourself. I can’t imagine a better olive in all of Greece.”

He knew Astra was trying to bolster his spirits but he couldn’t bring himself to smile.

“Sophus, what’s wrong?”

He remained silent and Astra reached for his hand. “I miss my mother too.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes. She was an amazing woman. Full of wisdom and spirit. I admired her greatly. I never saw her again after…”

“After what?”

“That’s not important,” she said, letting go of his hand and shaking her head of old memories. “You were talking about your father and I rudely interrupted.”

“No. That’s alright. I appreciate that you can tell me that. I was just lost in thought.”

“About what?”

“When I took over the farm, there was something I had to give up. There wasn’t time for it and I find that lately, it wants to come back into my life.”

“Surely, if it’s something that brings you joy, it would be a welcome addition to your life.”

“My artistic side would take up too much of my time. My focus should be on the farm.” He handed Astra his notebook. “Not on sketches and doodles.”

Her hands were dry now, having rested for so long on the raft. She took the sketchbook in her hands and flipped through its pages. Scenes of people and horizons and buildings passed as she turned the pages. Then, she turned to several pages where she saw her likeness.

“You…Sophus these are beautiful.”

“Merely time wasters. I should have spent my younger years learning more about the farm.”

“But there’s so much passion here. You gave that up to keep up your father’s legacy?”

“Of course.”

There was genuine confusion in her face when she asked, “Why?”

“Well, wouldn’t you do the same for your father?”

“No. Never.”

Her hands trembled and his notebook shook in her hands. He gently took it from her and took her hands in his own.

“I’m sorry I pushed. When you’re ready, I hope you’ll tell me.”

Her shaking eased and she clamped her lips. “Thank you,” she finally said.


	4. Chapter 4

Sophus’ mind ran wild. He gripped the rough stone harder in his hand and continued sanding down the raft. The slow, methodical strokes kept his hands busy while his mind wandered. He stood by his decision to not push Astra any further but he couldn’t help but wonder about her strong reaction. How much pain was she hiding? What could have happened to her in her past?

He continued sanding as he ran through the possibilities. It was clear that she had a terrible relationship with her father. But why? His mind came up with a hundred reasons, all completely plausible.

“What are you doing out here?”

Sophus looked up at the voice. It was Nic with Jason only a half-step behind him.

“You know, you two don’t have to go everywhere together.”

“And you don’t have to go running off at every opportunity,” Nic said. “What are you doing out here?”

Sophus knew it was only a matter of time before they confronted him. And he knew he had to lie.

“I would have thought it was obvious from the way that I’m sanding my old raft.”

Jason’s eyes widened, as if he only just saw it. “You still have that thing? I thought you got rid of it when…” he trailed off and his unsaid words hung in the air.

“Well, I felt like fixing it up a bit. The splinters aren’t exactly pleasant.”

“This is where you’ve been? Fixing your raft?” Jason asked.

“No,” Nic said. “It doesn’t take eighteen days to sand down a raft.”

Of course. That’s why they came together, united front.

“Well,” Sophus began, “maybe I’m just that terrible at this.”

Their eyes were skeptical. Sophus expected them to be. He shifted to his other plan.

“Fine. I’ve been going to pay my respects to my father. Happy?”

He hated to use his father as an excuse but it was the most logical reasoning he could give.

“No,” Nic said. Jason placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down. It didn’t work. “You haven’t. That’s where we thought you may have gone. We checked. Three separate days. You were never there. And you’ve been far too happy lately for that. Now tell us. Where in Tartarus have you been?”

Sophus’ shoulders sagged. Nic’s eyes were close to furious that he had been lied to. Sophus sighed. He had to tell them the truth. Well, as close to the truth as he could.

“I met someone.”

Jason’s eyes turned gleeful and Nic looked as if he needed a moment to process what Sophus said.

“Told you,” Jason said, hitting Nic on the shoulder. “Now pay up.”

“I don’t have enough on me.”

“Then give me what you have. I’ll collect the rest later.”

“We can argue about this later.” Nic turned his attention back to Sophus. “What do you mean you met someone?”

“I mean I’ve met someone. And I have been spending time with her lately.”

“Why didn’t you just tell us?” Jason asked.

Nic flexed an arm. “Scared of the competition, of course.”

The two looked at Sophus expectantly and began to frown when he didn’t answer right away.

“I…I didn’t think you would approve of her.”

“Is it that baker’s daughter? What’s her name?” Nic snapped his fingers a few times. “Iris? Sure, she’s not that easy on the eyes but, if she makes you happy…”

“It’s not Iris. You don’t know who she is.”

“So she recently arrived here? From where?” Jason asked.

“I’m not quite sure. She won’t tell me herself.”

“Then bring her around. Surely she’ll speak to us handsome men.”

“I wouldn’t count on that.” Despite the trouble he would be in with his friends if they ever found out the truth, it was surprisingly fun to keep them guessing

“Well, let her judge that for herself.”

“So why haven’t you brought her over yet?” Jason asked.

“She’s…not exactly able to leave home.”

A skeptical look came over Nic’s face again. “Why?”

“She just can’t.”

Nic’s eyes looked over Sophus and down to the raft.

“Why are you sanding the raft?”

“Like I said, it’s full of splinters and not particularly comfortable.”

“So you use the raft to get to her?”

Sophus opened his mouth to say something but paused before saying, “Yes.”

Nic grabbed the stone out of his hand and tossed it to the ground. “You idiot. If you’re going to lie, at least lie properly.” He gestured emphatically at the shoreline. “There are barely any islands along here. And none that your raft could reach. Anything else is accessible by land. So why do you need the raft?”

“Because…because you can just trust me on this.”

Sophus reached for the stone but Jason grabbed his wrist. “What is going on with you? Since when do you hide things from us? And you are a terrible liar so quit this pretense.”

Sophus’ shoulders slumped. They were right. He was a horrible liar and he should have known better than being able to lie to his childhood best friends.

“Do you swear to stay calm?”

Jason was the first to speak. “May Zeus impregnate my future wife.”

It was a saying they came up with when they were younger. It started off as a joke but worked its way into their lives more and more as they aged.

Nic huffed. “May Zeus impregnate my future wife.”

Sophus took a deep breath. “She’s from here…but…not.”

“What does that mean?” Jason asked, still calm.

Sophus didn’t know how to find the words. Instead, he pointed towards the water.

“She’s…from another place?” Jason said, still unsure of Sophus’ gesture.

“No, she’s…from…” he pointed again at the shoreline.

“The sea?” Nic offered, whose face was somewhere between confusion. Silence passed over them and Sophus shrugged. Nic burst into laughter. “Good one. And I thought I was the funny one in the group. You’re dating a fish. That’s hilarious.”

“She’s human. Well, part of her is at least.”

“Which part?” Jason asked.

“The…top half?”

Silence engulfed the three again and Nic’s jaw dropped. “A siren? You’re courting a siren?!”

“On the pregnancy of your future wife,” Sophus reminded him.

Nic grimaced and squeezed the bridge of his nose. He forced a smile but it was more unsettling than his angry face. “You’re honestly telling us that you’ve been sneaking away to meet with a siren who wants to feast on your flesh?”

“She’s not a siren. If that was the case, she would have eaten me weeks ago. She’s timid and nervous, not vicious. She has an amazing mind. I read her stories and we have conversations and...” he trailed off, unsure if he could make any of this sound sensible.

Jason’s knees collapsed under him and he settled on the ground. “So this siren-”

“Astra.”

“What?” Nic interjected.

“It’s her name. She’s not a siren. Her name is Astra.” He hesitated for a moment before pulling out his notebook and opening it. “This is her.”

Nic and Jason both grabbed it, aghast. They stared at the page and up to Sophus.

Nic was, surprisingly, the first to speak. “You’re drawing again?”

Sophus tucked a lock of loose hair behind his ear. “The first time I saw her, I thought I might be going mad. So I thought I should remember what she looked like. Then we met again and I just wanted to keep drawing her.”

Nic and Jason shared a look.

“And you’re sure she’s not a siren?” Nic asked.

“I’m sure,” Sophus said.

“So,” Jason began. “How did this happen?"

Sophus felt a weight lift from his shoulders and told his friends the whole story.


	5. Chapter 5

Sophus woke up the next morning lighter than he had in days. Telling Nic and Jason about Astra was a relief. He didn’t realize how much of a mental toll it took on him to constantly create excuses to leave early. Naturally, they insisted on meeting her could not imagine that she was up for that quite yet. He packed a small lunch tied in a cloth. Before he left, he ducked back in his room and looked at the canvas.

After talking with his friends the previous day, Sophus felt a surge of creativity. The notebook seemed like too small of a canvas now. He used something larger now, a real canvas where he could truly capture her. He began with her face. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was accustomed to something smaller but he drew her smaller than he should have for the space. He thought about erasing his work and making her larger but then inspiration struck again and he found that he added himself to the piece. Land and sea. It was almost as if the expression on their faces showed them meeting for the first time. Even though they were only sketches at the moment, he was proud of himself. It was ambitious and he hoped it would be as beautiful as he imagined when it was finally done.

With a wave goodbye to Nic and Jason, Sophus went back down to the water.

-

“It was then that Alec decided to lay down his sword forever. Adventure was not what he craved anymore. It was company. Company of one who loved him and who he could love in return.”

He paused dramatically and Astra took the moment to interject.

“You’re only halfway through the story. What conflicts could come his way now?”

“Have you heard this story before?”

She pointed towards him. “There are still quite a few pages left.”

“An astute observation. And what conflicts do you believe will come his way?”

“A great warrior who gives up his sword. He could still feel the call of the sword or incur the wrath of the gods by giving up what some may consider his path in life.”

“I suppose we’ll have to find out. Would you like me to continue?”

“Yes. I would.”

-

“So a man’s pride is his downfall.”

It wasn’t a question and it would have been an easy detail to miss in the story. But every time his eyes glanced up from the pages, she was captivated by his words.

“Indeed.”

She continued to become more comfortable in his presence each day. Her arms rested on the edge of his raft and she laid her head on her arms. She almost looked as if she could fall asleep if she weren’t so paying attention so aptly.

It was then that he realized that she must be supporting herself by her arms. How long had she been supporting herself like that?

“Are you alright?” he said, the words bursting out of his mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you tired? I never realized that you must be holding yourself up by your arms. Is it tiring? I…I don’t exactly know how this,” he said, gesturing at her appendage below the surface of the water, “works.” He only saw her tail once, when she panicked and left. But it was brief as it waved over the water before disappearing again below the waves.

She smiled warmly. “Thank you but I’m alright.”

-

Another day brought another story. It was an oddly warm day for so late in October. But fortunately, the grotto stayed cooler than if they were in direct sunlight.

Sophus put their newest book aside and wiped his brow with a spare bit of cloth. “You aren’t warm?”

“I suppose it’s not as bad in the water,” Astra replied from her usual spot hanging on the side of his raft.

“Then this arrangement hardly seems fair.”

She smiled and, was that a small laugh? She picked a few olives off of the handkerchief, chewed them, and swallowed before saying, “Well, why don’t you come in here then?”

“I would get wet. And then who would read?”

“I could.”

She hoisted herself atop his raft, careful to keep her hands dry, and avoided dripping her lower half on the book. They were never so close as they were now. Astra seemed to realize as much when she froze next to him. But a soft smile from Sophus was all it took to relax her again.

“It’s alright,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said smiling.

As she settled and took up the book, Sophus stared entranced at her tail. It was a beautiful blue that matched her eyes and shimmered beautifully as it caught the light. Each scale was perfectly identical and drips of water clung to their surface. The scales changed to something else as they ascended her body. It was almost like a second skin as it wrapped around her chest and into what appeared to be straps over her shoulders. He didn’t realize he was staring until she tried to get his attention.

“I’m so sorry,” he said.

“It’s alright.” She was clearly still nervous about the situation, which made it all the more surprising when she said, “Now, it’s your turn to get into the water.”

His jaw dropped open. “You weren’t serious?”

“Of course. I’m on your raft, aren’t I?”

Sophus smirked. “And what will I say to people when I stroll back through town soaking wet?”

She smiled before saying, “That you were clumsy and fell in the water.”

He laughed. Her smile became more natural now and she smiled much more than she frowned.

“How about a compromise?”

She said nothing but listened attentively. Without a word, he removed his shoes and slipped his feet into the water next to her.

“Your compromise is accepted.”

“Now, I believe you were going to read today.”

The book was still cradled in Astra’s arms, open to the right page and held high enough to avoid her still damp tail.

As she read through arguments of human philosophy, her tail drifted back and forth. When it grazed his foot, she blushed and recoiled. Then, his foot sought her tail out and assured her simply through touch that he didn’t mind. Finally, Sophus shifted towards her ever so slightly and pressed his shoulder against hers. She barely broke her reading stride but the smile on her face was clear.

When she took a break to rest her throat, he retracted to give her space.

“You have a lovely reading voice,” he said.

Astra averted gaze and said, “Thank you.” She tucked the book to the side, away from any stray droplets of water.

The two sat and admired the view. It was the same as it always was but never had they enjoyed it with such wonderful company.

It was peaceful. They were happy. And he thought now could be the best time to bring it up. “By the way, I told a couple of my friends about you a few days ago.”

Astra withdrew and wrapped her arms around herself. “You did?”

“It’s alright. They’re good and kind. They want to meet you but I told them only when you’re ready.” She grew tense and he wanted to put her back at ease. “Be warned. They thought you might be a siren when I first told them about you so they may make some jokes. Well, Nic will definitely make jokes.”

“Clearly they have never met a siren.”

“And you have?”

“Not personally. But I’ve seen them. They’re nasty, filthy creatures. When they’re not trying to lure men to their doom, they are particularly uncouth. I never had a desire to befriend them, not that they would accept someone like me.”

“And what are you?” The words left Sophus’ mouth before he realized he said them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I’m sorry.”

A long moment passed before she said, “Thank you. I’m just…” she trailed off, staring at the book she set aside. “Just a lonely creature who will wander the seas.”

Sophus took her fingers gently in his hand. “You don’t seem so alone now.”

Her free hand clenched and her eyes looked like she was trying to hide tears. But she looked away before he could tell for sure.

A long moment of silence passed before Astra could bring herself to say anything. “Do you truly want to know what happened to me?”

“Only if you’re willing to talk about it. I know I’ve pushed before and I don’t want you to feel pressured at all. I enjoy your company and I hope that you can trust me.”

She tensed and took a long moment to relax again. She placed her free hand over his, as if she needed the extra bit of stability. “I was human once, many years ago. I lived an ordinary life and read my books in the garden. It was just myself and my mother.” Astra paused and smiled at the thought of her mother. “I never knew my father. I only heard stories about him. I was happy with my mother but like any child, I wondered what my father was like. People said he was troublesome and full of jokes that caused people to despise him. One day, he came to me. I was ecstatic to meet him and eager to please. He said that he had a very special job for me. I was so excited that I agreed. It turned out that he wanted to use me in a ruse.”

“A ruse? But what does that have to do with…”

“Everything. You see, my father simply wanted to use me as a distraction in thievery. And Poseidon is not pleased when someone attempts to steal from him.”

“Your father tried to steal from Poseidon? How would he even attempt that?”

“His winged boots help.” Seeing Sophus’ wide eyes, she confirmed. “Yes, my father is Hermes.”

Sophus’ mind reeled. “Your father is Hermes? And tried to steal from Poseidon?”

“Yes. His trident to be specific. Evidently, he thought it would be uproarious. But he was unsuccessful and I was found out to be involved in his scheme. Poseidon cursed me to a life in his territory so that he could always keep an eye on me.”

“A cursed lifetime for a prank you had no involvement in? That’s ludicrous.”

“Yes. But there is no reasoning with Poseidon if he has made up his mind. And they don’t exactly get along so finding blame is easy.”

“But surely your father interjected on your behalf.”

“Hardly. He tried to escape as soon as he was caught in the act. He had no desire to waste his energy defending me.”

“But he’s your father.”

Astra puffed up her chest but it quickly deflated. “You’re fortunate to have had such a wonderful relationship with your father. Not all of us can boast that.”

“I was fortunate. And you were fortunate to know your mother.”

“Yes. I was.” She cupped her hands in her lap and brushed at her scales. “Sophus?”

“Yes?”

“In the interest of openness…why do you take on your father’s legacy when you have your own calling?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your drawings. They’re beautiful. Why can’t you pursue that? Why the olive farm?”

“It was his life’s work. And just because he passed before he should have, that doesn’t mean his legacy has to as well.”

She took his arm gently in her fingers. “His legacy is you. Not those trees.”

Sophus shook his head. “You changed the topic. I believe we were talking about you.” He pivoted his arm and took her hand in his and stared at her tail. “Is there any way to break this curse?”

“None was given to me. And I can’t begin to imagine that Poseidon is keen on ways to break a curse of his own making. You may as well ask Hades to let a spirit go.”

“I suppose…” Sophus said.

“Now, what do you say we go back to the human condition?” The excitement in her voice lifted and she reached for the book.

“I would love that.”

But as Astra read, Sophus’ mind drifted and he already began planning a detour on his way home.


	6. Chapter 6

It was just beginning to rain as Sophus walked home but he barely felt the rare tiny drops. 

He passed Hermes’ temple hundreds of times in his life. He never thought much of it. He left offerings there in his life, of course. But never had so much rely on one visit, one offering, one prayer. He knew it was unlikely that anything would happen but perhaps he would get a sign. Something small that could point him in the right direction. He laid the jar of honey at the base of Hermes’ statue and prayed so hard that he started muttering to himself. He was fortunate that no one else was there to hear his nonsensical ramblings. If anyone heard him mutter about curses and creatures of the sea, they would surely think he was as mad as Oedipus himself. 

As he finished his prayer, he glanced around. He looked for anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps an animal who could lead him toward a clue, or a scribble written on the air, or Hermes’ statue pointing in a different direction. But there was nothing. Nothing happened. The white columns surrounding him merely echoed the pattering of his feet as he turned in circles. 

He, however, did not look directly up. 

“Come on,” the voice above him rang. “Messenger of the gods and you don’t think to look up?”

Sophus stumbled and fell back on his elbows. Indeed there was someone above him. He was tall with golden brown skin, greying hair, and a laissez-faire attitude that clung to him like the last autumn leaves on a tree. 

“Now what can I do for you, oh mortal who has found the way to my heart?”

Sophus wished he could speak but found that his mouth could not move. 

“Ah. Speechless. A favourite. Now, let me guess. You want to be blessed with medical knowledge? Or perhaps borrow my winged boots for something? No?”

Sophus was still on his back. While he prayed more fiercely than he ever had, he came to the quick realization that he was not at all prepared for Hermes to actually appear.

He floated down, a bit closer but not quite touching the ground. 

“So, what’ll it be, mortal? I don’t have all the time in the world, you know.”

Sophus finally found the ability to speak when he reminded himself what he was here for.

“Astra.”

Hermes cupped his hand behind his ear dramatically. “What was that? You’ll have to speak up.”

“Astra,” he repeated, louder and more confident.

Hermes furrowed his brow and cupped his chin. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”

Sophus felt as if he had been punched in the gut but his outrage kept him strong. “Astra. Your daughter.”

Hermes switched hands and began tapping the end of his staff against his chin. “Astra? Not ringing any bells.”

Sophus felt heat flood his face. Was he truly this obtuse? “Your daughter! The one you used for a joke and then left for Poseidon to curse her.”

He thought for a moment before recognition came to his eyes. “Ah. Yes. Cassandra’s girl. That had to have been…what…two decades ago? Three? Really, this whole human concept of time is just exhausting.”

The back of his mind registered the unusual length of time but he was too furious to acknowledge it. Hermes, meanwhile, crossed his arms and began idly looking around.

“Your daughter. Your daughter was cursed because of your selfishness. Now, she spends her time alone in this world because you were too busy saving yourself!”

Hermes uncrossed his arms to examine a fingernail. “So you wanted me to come down from my royal duties so that you could yell at me?”

Sophus had a large breath prepared but breathed it out when he realized that yelling at a god was likely a bad idea. “I came here for a way to break Astra’s curse.”

“And you think I would have that? A way to break a curse of Poseidon’s?” He laughed. “That’s-that’s really something if you think I would know a way to break one of his curses.”

“She is cursed to a life of solitude and you’ll do nothing?”

Hermes shrugged. “What can I say kid? It’s no skin off my back. It’s not like I forced her to join me in going up against Poseidon.”

Sophus wanted to pull his hair out. “But you didn’t tell her what you were doing, which is hardly innocent on your part.”

Hermes wasn’t even paying attention anymore. Instead he was staring around the temple. “You know, why are my temples always some of the smallest? I’m still a god, you know. Even Dionysus’ temple is bigger than this.”

Sophus wanted to yell, to scream, to hold Hermes down and beat him with something, god or not. But it was clear that he wasn’t going to get anywhere. 

“So that’s it then. You won’t even care?” Hermes didn’t even answer. “Why did you even bother to come down then?”

“You happened to hit my sweet spot today,” Hermes said, gesturing towards his offering. “Honey is the sweet offering of the day. I just love the stuff lately. Can’t get it on Olympus. But who knows? Maybe I’ll want vinegar tomorrow.”

Hermes continued on about all the things he could love instead of honey but Sophus had enough. “Fine! Never mind.”

“Listen, kid. If you want to break one of Poseidon’s curses, you’ll have to talk to him. And I don’t normally do this but you seem decent. And I like to waste Poseidon’s time. When you visit the temple, bring wine that’s made from Mandilaria grapes. They’re his favourite.”

Sophus froze. “Really?”

“Really,” Hermes said with a wink. “He really hates coming to see humans but he will for a bottle of that wine.”

“Um. Thank you?” It was strange to thank a god when Sophus yelled at him only a few moments ago. 

Hermes thumped his chest as if Sophus’ thanks was pure and heartfelt. “Of course, mortal. Now, I should be off.” Before Hermes ascended, he grabbed the jar of honey and disappeared. 

As Sophus was left alone once again in the temple, he tried to process the situation. He just yelled at a god, who wasn’t even bothered by it. But that was quickly moving to the back of his mind. His main thought was where he could get a bottle of Mandilaria wine. 

The next morning still carried rain from the previous day. But it was raining harder now. Sophus was almost thankful for it. It meant that they had to call off work for the day. And that meant that Nicophorous and Jason would certainly use the morning to sleep. While they were begrudgingly supportive of his relationship with Astra, Sophus imagined they wouldn’t be very supportive of seeking an audience with Poseidon. 

The town slept on, many seeming to choose to stay indoors from the pelting rain. Poseidon’s temple wasn’t far, down near the docks so fishermen and explorers could leave their offerings for a safe voyage. 

The fishermen seemed to take the day off as well, and it was no wonder. The waves were choppy, the rain came down by the bucketful, it was the kind of weather only a mad man would be out in. 

Or a man trying to break a curse.

Sophus arrived at the temple just before the sun came up. He wiped his arm against his forehead, pushing his waterlogged hair out of his face but it hardly did any good. His hair flopped back into place with a wet slap against his cheek. He placed the bottle down and took a moment to fix himself properly. 

Poseidon’s temple was always one of the biggest and most temple but Sophus never noticed that until now. The columns and roof were twice as high as Hermes’ temple and Poseidon’s statue stood tall and strong. He held his trident in both hands with waves cresting around his legs.

Sophus breathed deep and let it go before uncorking the bottle and placing it at Poseidon’s feet. Sophus fell to his knees and prayed, despite his growing fear. Before long, he heard a sound like a growing wave. He looked around but could only see rain through the entrance to the temple. The sound grew louder, as if the wave was building and growing closer. As the sound crested, the smell of salt overwhelmed him and Sophus covered his head but found no wave. Instead, when he looked up, he saw the massive form of Poseidon. 

He was slimmer than his statue counterpart, and beardless but with long hair. The grip on his trident held strong and Sophus feared to be on the receiving end of it. 

Poseidon’s eyes found Sophus, whose knees were shaking but he hoped it didn’t show. He put all his effort into staying upright this time.

“Ah, mortal. You please me with your offering. What prayer would you like answered today?” 

Sophus took another deep breath and mustered all the courage he had. “Great Lord Poseidon. I come today to ask a great favour of you. Years ago, a gentle being was caught up in a plan to undermine you. She had no idea the reasoning of the plan. She only wished to appease her father and she paid the price by your hand. I ask of a way to break the curse on her.”

Poseidon kept his head aloft but looked down at Sophus only with his eyes. “Are you referring to Hermes’ spawn girl who helped him in his plot to steal my trident?”

“I do. She had no knowledge of who she would be defying with the act. And I ask if there is any way for her curse to be broken.”

“That creature got what she deserved. Now if that is all you seek-”

“Please! I understand that you cannot simply lift the curse but perhaps there is a price that I can pay. I would throw myself to the waves, I would leap from the highest cliff, I would walk into the Underworld itself to see her free.”

That caught Poseidon’s attention. “You, a mortal man, would walk into my brother’s domain to free this girl?”

“I would.”

A look crossed Poseidon’s face that Sophus couldn’t quite place. Perhaps it was a look of the gods or perhaps it was because Sophus barely passed Poseidon’s knees in height and could barely see all of Poseidon’s face. 

“Very well. Fetch me a jar of water from the River Lethe and I shall let your friend free.”

“Thank you Great Lord. Your generosity is gracious indeed. But I fear I do not know how to navigate the Underworld.”

“There are many entrances to the Underworld and fortunately for you, there is one not far from here. I can give you instructions on how to find Lethe. If you are prepared.”

Sophus stood a bit taller and held his head high. “I’m ready.”

-

Sophus knew he should have gone home to change. The pouring rain caused his shirt to stick to his chest. Instead, he ran down to the shore, too excited to go home first. He wanted to tell her as soon as possible so that she could share in the news.

It took longer than he hoped for her cautious blue hair to crest the water. He spent the time trying to calm his smile and stop his leg from bouncing. He was unsuccessful at both. 

Astra finally appeared, a short distance away for caution, as always. “You’re early. You should not have faced all this rain just to see me,” she said as she swam closer and noticed the gleeful look on his face. “You look happier than usual.”

“Well, I have some rather exciting news.”

She reached the raft and pulled herself up to sit on it. “And what is that? You found a rare copy of something?” Her eyes glistened with hope.

“Better. This morning, I found a way to break your curse.”

The only thing that could be heard was the gentle waves beneath them echoing off the stone. 

“You what?” She finally responded.

Sophus studied her face. He thought she would be ecstatic. Instead, she only regarded him with confusion. 

“I went out early this morning and I had some good luck with offerings. Well, I had a little tip and Poseidon granted me an audience.”

“A tip? From who?”

Sophus clamped his lips, knowing that she would not enjoy the answer. He hoped he could avoid this little detail, but as he looked at her deep blue eyes, he found that he could not lie to her. “Your father.”

“You saw my father? To what end?”

“For you. To see if he knew of a way to break the curse on you. He was rather unhelpful-”

“Naturally,” she said, crossing her arms.

“But he did tell me what to offer Poseidon so that he may hear me out.”

Astra’s stern arms relaxed ever so slightly. With a mixture of confusion of sarcasm she said, “And he just gave you the key to break this curse?”

“He said that if he were to receive a particular offering, he would lift your curse.”

“What kind of offering?”

“Water.”

“Water?”

“Yes.”

“Poseidon, god of the seas, wants you to bring him water?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of water?”

“A…very special kind.”

Astra leaned towards him, her hands on the raft to balance her so that she could interrogate him further. “What kind of water, Sophus? Poseidon has access to almost every body of water.” She paused and realization swept across her face. “Except for the Underworld.”

At the mention of the Underworld, Sophus looked away. An action that was certainly not missed. 

“Sophus, did Poseidon tell you to get water from the Underworld?” Still he looked away. Astra’s voice had more intensity than he ever heard before. “Sophus, look at me and tell me the truth.”

He looked up. Her eyes were hard and he knew she would push until he responded truthfully. 

“From the River Lethe.”

Astra recoiled. “That’s suicide. You would never make it out.”

“If it’s to break your curse-”

“Do you know what is carried in that river?” At his blank stare, Astra said, “Forgetfulness. Even if you were to miraculously get to the river, if a single drop touches your skin, you would forget everything. You can’t possibly be thinking about going.”

His silence was enough.

“Sophus, you are positively mad for even considering this. Why are you giving this any thought?”

“To break your curse. If there’s even the slightest-”

“Give up. I’m not worth this risk you would put yourself through.”

“Yes! You are!” Sophus didn’t realize his voice until he saw her recoil. She slid off the raft and into the water. He softened his voice. “I’m sorry. Of course you’re worth it. Because I care about you. And I want you to stop living this life of solitude. I want better for you.”

Astra took his hand. “I love what we have. I wish you could be content with it.”

“You’re living safely, with your walls up.” He remembered Hermes’ words. “How long have you lived like this?”

She paused. She was calculating again, weighing the risk of telling him. “Forty three years,” she finally said.

“And how long do you intend to continue like this?”

“Until I die, whenever that may be.” There was pride in her voice. “I’d rather live for eternity than see you risk your own life like this. I have nothing more to offer the world. I accepted that long ago.”

“That’s no way to live!” He reached for her hand but she pulled away, her voice defeated.

“At this point, all I can do is survive. There is no option for thriving and I have made my peace with that. But with you, life is better. I want to hold on to that.”

“I can’t be happy with that. Return to your life of solitude if you wish. But you’re wrong. You are worth it. You are worth so much.” He lowered his paddle and pushed away. “I’ll make you see that.”


	7. Chapter 7

Sophus moped. Every other moment he considered going back to the grotto. He paddled away so quickly that he didn’t listen to her calling back out to him. 

How could she think she was worthless? Didn’t she see the change in him since they began meeting? He certainly saw the change in her over the last several weeks. If her curse could be broken, she could live a normal life again, with him.

He looked back up at the partially finished painting in the corner. The background was finished and the side of the painting that had him in it was mostly done but Astra still sat in lines. He tried so many times to paint her but he couldn’t quite mix the right shade of blue to capture her. There was something almost shimmering about her blue and he couldn’t quite recreate it. 

Even though her painting’s eyes weren’t looking out, he felt like she watched him. Her words echoed through his head that the idea was suicidal and pure madness. When he couldn’t take her repeating words any longer, he took the painting, pushed it into a closet, and closed the door. He sat back down when Jason entered. 

“Did you want something to eat? Nic is consuming everything in your kitchen and I thought you might want something before he finishes.”

Sophus paused before saying, “Do you think I’m mad?”

“I would be if Nic ate everything in my house.”

“No. This isn’t about that. What I have with Astra. Am I mad for thinking it could work out?”

Jason puffed his cheeks and let it out in a long exhale. “It’s certainly quite the situation you landed yourself in. It seems to be working out well so far.”

“What about…a life together?”

Jason’s eyebrows pushed together. “Are you…are you in love with her?”

Sophus opened his mouth to speak. Love. The thought never crossed his mind. He cared about her. Of course he did. But then, he was thinking about a life with her. He was preparing to journey to the Underworld for her. He thought about the curves of her face, the way she spoke, her quips. He never gave much thought to what kind of woman would capture his heart but she did. Wholly. 

“Yes. I am.” 

“Well, it would be difficult to pick a place to live. Not to mention the-”

“There’s a way to break her curse.”

“What? She’s cursed?”

Sophus breathed heavily, realizing how much happened in the last day. So he told Jason the tale of Astra’s curse, his temple visits, and his argument with her. When he was finished, Jason only stared. 

“The Underworld,” Jason finally said.

“Yes.”

“Hades’ Underworld.”

“Correct again.”

“And you are considering this?”

“Yes. Astra gives me all the strength I need. And Poseidon was able to tell me a few things.”

“So what do you know?”

“How to get there and how to recognize the River Lethe. Poseidon says that it runs through most of the Underworld. But it contains its strongest properties the further into the Underworld it’s retrieved.”

As the two men sat in quiet contemplation, the door burst open to reveal Nicophorous. “Well, if you’re going on a quest, you better count us in.”

“Were you listening at the door the whole time?” Jason asked.

“Of course! There wasn’t enough food to keep me occupied for this long.” He paraded into the room and pulled Sophus into the crook of his elbow. “Look Sophus. You clearly love this girl. Count us in.”

Sophus hit Nic on the arm to release him. “You’re this easily persuaded into a trip to the Underworld?”

“Adventure!” Nic exclaimed. 

“You’re not coming into the Underworld with me.”

Nic rolled his eyes. “Fine. But we should at least get you there safely.”

“I don’t think getting there is the problem,” Jason said. 

“And we’ll be there at the entrance when he comes back out. We’ll save your lady love and see if she has any friends for me.”

“But…why? It’s enough of a risk that I go. I can’t risk you too.”

Nic settled beside Sophus, his volume lowered. “She makes you happy. I haven’t seen you this happy since before your father died. He would want you to be happy again. But all you’ve done is continue his work. She has you drawing again. And I have not seen you smile this much since before he passed. You deserve some happiness. And if a trip to the Underworld is what it takes, let’s take a trip to the Underworld.”

Sophus smiled. “Thank you.”

-

Three days passed since Nic convinced Sophus that what he was doing was right. He thought about seeing Astra before he left but he couldn’t bring himself to. Instead, he wrote her a letter. He wanted her to know that she was worth it. The thought of her would keep him strong and she was worth every single ache and pain of possible eternal torment he may endure. He left it in one of her dry spots. He wondered if she saw the raft when he left the letter. Did she watch him from one of her hiding spots? Was she underneath the water? He paddled away, unsure if he would ever know. 

Almost a full day later, Sophus arrived at the site Poseidon told him. Nicophorous and Jason flanked him. Production at the farm was put to a standstill. Officially, it was because of the heavy rain making the dirt to muddy and slippery to harvest properly. Unofficially, it was because the three most important people to the farm stood at the entrance to the Underworld. 

They followed the river Acheron from town. On foot, it took almost a day. They knew the superstitions they all heard as children. Never step foot into the river Acheron or you could get swept away into the Underworld. Now, Sophus stood next to the river, staring down at it and at a black cavern opening where the water ran into. The rock around the opening was bare of growth, as if the plants even knew what was beyond the entrance. 

“Thank you,” Sophus said, “for coming this far with me.”

He gulped. Then he was slapped on the back and stumbled.

“Don’t go saying your goodbyes now,” Nic said. “We’re joining you.”

Nic kept saying that all through their trip. Jason, however, was rather silent on the matter, as if he could sense Sophus’ anxiety.

“No. I told you. You’re not coming.”

Nic punched him in the shoulder and threw his arm over Sophus’ shoulder. To most people it would seem reassuring. Sophus knew it was a vague threat that he would be put into a headlock if Nic didn’t like what he said next.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m going in myself.”

Sure enough, Nic tucked Sophus’ neck into his elbow. “No you’re not.”

Sophus escaped and pushed Nic away. “I’m risking my life by doing this. I won’t ask the same of you.”

“Then why did we even come?”

“For support,” Jason said. “And if you don’t come back out, someone has to watch the farm.”

Sophus actually laughed. “You know me too well, old friend.”

“You mean, we’re just supposed to sit here until you come back out?”

Sophus looked back at the entrance of the cave. “Not forever. If I don’t return by this time tomorrow, go back. The last of the olives will need harvesting and if I’m not back by tomorrow, it’s unlikely that I will be coming back at all.”

Before Sophus could say anything else, Jason reached forward and pulled Sophus into a hug. “Try to make it out alive. We’ll be here.”

Nic sighed and pulled the two into his own arms. “Don’t die in there.”

Sophus managed to laugh again. Perhaps it was nerves, or perhaps he wanted these last possible moments with his closest friends to be one of laughter. 

He climbed down the rock face to the rushing water below and carefully dipped in a foot. He almost expected to be swept away but the water behaved as any other water would. He lowered his other foot and let go of the wall. The water came up to his knees. It was cold but he ignored that. He looked up.

Nic and Jason stood at the edge of the precipice. Sophus waved at them, forcing a smile. Before he could second guess himself, he walked into the cave. 

At first glance, it was like any ordinary cave: wet, rocky, and grew darker as he walked further in. In hindsight, he wondered if he should have brought a torch but it would be like putting a beacon on his back. 

The last of the light faded as he walked. But somehow, he wasn’t in pitch black like he thought he would be. Something still allowed him to see but he couldn’t quite explain what it was. 

The river narrowed and a bank of land alongside the river emerged from the water. He pushed through the water and climbed onto land, not even pausing in his stride. The fabric on him hung heavy but he paid it no mind. He trekked deeper and deeper until he heard faint noises. It sounded like footsteps, a mixture of them. There were heavy footsteps made by something large, what sounded like hooves, and other noises that he couldn’t quite place. 

As he trekked, a bit slower now, the ground became more and more uneven. He sidestepped cracks and boulders that began dotting the shoreline and kept his ears open for anything else unusual. 

The noises slowly grew louder, as did a thickness to the air. It was so gradual that he didn’t even notice it until he realized he was behind on his breathing.

He ducked back down as something in the corner of his eye moved. Peeking around a boulder, he saw a boat pass silently. A man sat nervously in the back and a robed figure paddled silently. Sophus just saw a face so decayed that he could see bone through the skin and a large beard. He waited until it passed before he continued moving forward. 

As he made it closer and closer, the air became even thicker and he had to readjust his breathing. The smell on the air was musty and damp. It reminded him of when one of the trees in the grove succumbed to rot.

The grove. 

He realized it was almost like a distant memory, as if the trek through this cave was all that was important. He forced himself to think about it. He remembered the warm sun, the taste of an olive, Nic and Jason’s faces, Astra’s smile. 

The memory of her kept him strong and he walked on.

He got closer and the noises he heard came into view. Ahead were creatures that he only heard stories of. A centaur paced a small distance away. A woman with wings of a bird had one unfurled. She looked to be grooming the feathers. There were other creatures that he couldn’t begin to explain. But the most intimidating was the giant who stood near the back, in front of an old set of gates. Poseidon certainly hadn’t mentioned this.

He stood there, wondering what he could do. How could he get past all of these creatures without being seen?

The answer came to him as the woman with wings flew overhead. He hadn’t even heard her take off. She looked at him. She looked directly at him. She hung in place, beating her huge wings and stared into his eyes. Then she seemed to shrug and continued flying.

That was when he realized that these creatures were not meant to keep people out. 

The next thing he did was either very brave or very stupid. 

He took a breath and ran straight past all of them. He reached the other side of the unlocked gates before he looked back. None of them paid him any mind. Just to test his theory, he opened the gate.

Every single creature turned to him, looking instantly more menacing than they had a moment ago. He closed the gate and they returned to a neutral stance. That would be an interesting problem on his way out.

If he made it out. 

The tunnel ahead was surprisingly empty. Only the sound of the rushing river echoed against the stone. He walked cautiously along the bank. It was still dark but he was able to make his way through. It helped that, as far as he could tell, the tunnel did not branch off. He walked along, one hand against the wall to keep him balanced. While the river Acheron was harmless before the gates, he wasn’t sure if the same could be said for the water past the gates. He navigated slowly, careful not to stumble and fall into the water as the strips of land twisted and became thinner. He pushed himself to remember, repeating the same words under his breath. “Astra, Nic, Jason, the olive grove.”

Finally, the tunnel ended and opened to a large cavern. Sophus crouched back. Multiple tunnels lead into this room. That much he could tell. He could also tell that each tunnel carried a river with it. It was just as Poseidon said it would be. All he had to do was take water from the right river. 

The cavern was mostly empty with a few creatures milling about. Yes, creatures seemed like the right word. They were human, but only just and walked with stumble, as if one leg was shorter than the other.

Sophus narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look. They didn’t seem to be doing anything. The only walked around with no seeming objective. 

He leaned forward ever so slightly but it was enough to throw off his balance and his foot slid into the water. He quickly pulled it back out and examined it. No damage. He thought about his life. “Astra, Nic, Jason, the olive grove.”

He looked back up to the cavern and recoiled at what he saw. Every creature’s head was turned in his direction and several were advancing in his direction. Before he could plan an escape, moist fingers grabbed his arms and legs. Where did they come from? 

More creatures swarmed on him. He pushed at them, punched them, kicked them, anything he could do to keep them at bay. But there were too many of them. It was as if they were dripping out of the walls to advance on him.

He kicked and three creatures grabbed an arm. He threw a punch but the creatures grabbed his legs and he was hoisted over their heads. He wriggled and thrashed against them but their grip was like iron 

All he could do was watch as they carried him away.


	8. Chapter 8

Sophus did not know how long he was carried by those creatures. He tried to keep track of their route but they danced and turned several times around the cavern in some kind of tribal ritual before choosing a tunnel. He couldn’t even be sure of the entrance he came through. 

The creatures made terrible noises. It was like a joyous screech but it wasn’t quite human. Sophus’ gut twisted in fear. His only recompense was that they hadn’t done him any bodily harm. Their goal only seemed to be to capture. The question now was what would be his final destination. 

They curved through tunnels that branched off dozens of directions. Finally, the tunnel opened into the largest cavern Sophus had ever seen. In fact, it was bigger than he could have imagined. And directly in the middle of it all was a looming structure that looked between a castle and a fortress. The entire area was lit by the light of the rivers of lava. The heat was intense. No man, living or dead could possibly survive here. 

Then he realized that only one being could reside here.

Sophus assumed he was going to be tossed into the afterlife, body and all. This, this was not what he expected. To die by Hades’ hand was never how he expected to die. He thought of Astra. He hoped she wouldn’t feel guilty about his death. Maybe Nic and Jason could keep her company. They would tell her that he walked in to the Underworld with his head held high. 

The roughly carved ceilings was all he could see. One of the creatures decided to hold his hair back from the moment they passed into the building. He could barely move his head and as he moved his eyes, he only briefly saw doors and walls as they passed by.

It was ridiculous in hindsight, how confident he felt walking in. He really thought his love for Astra would carry him through. This plan may not have been his best one. But strangely, he didn’t regret it. He knew he would have felt more regret if he hadn’t gone at all. 

The hands holding him back threw him forward and he tumbled in an ungraceful heap. Slowly, he raised himself to his elbows, then his hands, then he looked up at what lay before him.

He would realize later that there was a dais and an ornate throne. But all he could see in that moment was the man who sat on the throne. 

He wasn’t how Sophus imagined him. He appeared younger than he would have expected. He had long hair that curled at the ends and his face had growth that was somewhere between stubble and a proper beard. His eyes were a bright green, similar to his own. Sophus almost found comfort in it. Almost.

Despite the expectations, the figure held a power about him that could only belong to the God of the Underworld. 

“Have you brought me a living mortal?” His voice was soft, but there was no denying the authority behind it. “It has been ages since a mortal has entered my domain. What brings you here?”

As Hades spoke, Sophus tried to raise himself to his feet but found that he was stuck to the ground on his knees. The room was humid and sweat gathered on his brow to quickly drip off.

Two sets of green eyes met and Sophus forced himself to think of Astra to give him strength. 

“Lord Hades. I humbly come to your domain on a quest.”

“A quest? For what?”

“To break a curse.”

Hades stood and stepped forward. Sophus wasn’t sure why he was still alive but he was thankful for every extra moment he had. Hades waved a hand and grabbed a glittering thread that appeared out of thin air. 

“Well, there’s no curse on you. Now, whose curse are you here to break?”

“Astra. A woman unwillingly made slave. I care deeply for her. And I only seek something small so that she can enjoy life on land again.”

“And what does the man in love seek?”

Was this it? Would he be granted his request?

“A small jar of water from the river Lethe.”

“And why should I allow you to take from my river? Are you aware of the conflicts that could arise if I let anyone take from Lethe?”

“I am to believe that it brings about forgetfulness.”

Hades’ voice did not rise but still, it echoed off the stone in an almost booming way. “Yes. It does. And why should I allow you to take from it? For love? For all I know you’re trying to cheat me and use it to bend people to your will, forget things you want them to forget. I cannot let a mortal walk from here with that much power.”

“I have no use for the power. The water is only to appease Poseidon so that he will lift her curse.”

“Poseidon?” The voice who spoke was a new one. It was a woman and Sophus looked around to try and locate it. Then she appeared out of a dark corner. She had bright red voluminous hair that almost seemed to float around her. She was lithe and the most graceful creature he had ever seen. She was so full of life, even if the comparison wasn’t the creatures that still surrounded him. He wondered what she could possibly be doing down here. “Are you saying that you have a way to break a curse of Poseidon’s?”

Her voice was melodious and Sophus had to knock himself out of the stupor her voice put him in. “Yes.”

The woman stepped towards Hades, placed a hand on his arm, and shared a look with Hades that Sophus could not understand. 

“Sparing the life of a mortal,” she continued, “against revenge on your brother. Would that not be worthwhile?”

They shared a connection that Sophus could only gawk at. To speak so casually to the Lord of the Dead was beyond comprehension. And then he realized this resplendent woman in front of him was. 

“It would irk your to lose that bit of control,” Persephone said. 

There was a long pause before Hades said, “Very well.” He paused again and stared at Persephone. “But there must be a fee.”

Then, a little sadly, she said, “Of course.”

She kissed his cheek and he waved his hand. Sophus felt the weight upon him lift and he was pulled to his feet. He looked up into Persephone’s eyes and he heard Hades and the creatures around them creep away. In the middle of the Underworld, Sophus found hope again.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Sophus.”

“I’m Persephone.”

“I…I know.” He felt like a fool but it was hard to speak in front of her. “What happened?”

She bent her knees and balanced perfectly on her toes to look at him. “You are a very fortunate man. My husband and his brother do not get along. When you mentioned that the curse was one of Poseidon’s doing, I knew he would not be able to resist. He would have come to the conclusion in the end. I just helped him get there. He does enjoy toying with people and making them wait. I think it only slows things down.” She smiled again and took his arm. “Come along.” 

She walked with him as support until he found use of his legs again. It wasn’t until they exited the castle that Sophus found he could walk by himself again. 

“Where…”

She patted his arm and led him through a tunnel that looked like all the others. But she seemed to know exactly where she was going.

“To get you that water.”

“But why?”

She smiled and spoke as if she spoke to a child. But it wasn’t condescending. It was comforting. 

“Well, my husband believes it’s so that he can have someone do his dirty work to thwart his brother. But all I saw was a man desperately in love. Aphrodite may be the goddess of love but I see it too. And when I see something so pure, I want that to stay in the world. It gives me something to come back to when I return to the land of the living.” 

Sophus could only gape at her. Love saved him after all? 

“That woman you spoke of must be very special.”

Astra’s face came to his mind and he found the ability to form words. “She is unlike anyone else I have ever met.”

“Tell me about her.”

And so Sophus did. He told her of their unorthodox meeting, how he continued going to that grotto, and how they finally met again, read books, and fell in love.

As he spoke, they wound through tunnels and Persephone hung on every word. 

“You truly love her.”

It was a bit strange to have the word love dangled in front of him like that, especially in this place. But Persephone’s presence was comforting and made the trek through the tunnels of the Underworld more bearable. The air didn’t seem so heavy. The smell of rot lessened. 

“I do. I hope I can tell her that if I leave this place alive.”

Persphone patted his shoulder. “I’ll see to that. I know people see Hades as malicious and unforgiving but he isn’t.” She gestured upward with one finger. “Especially in comparison to his family up there. He’s actually quite happy here. He’s not particularly social and he enjoys seeing the dead treated justly.” She turned into a new tunnel and crouched at the edge of the water. “Now, did you bring something to take the water? I’ll retrieve it for you as it has no effect on me.”

Sophus blinked before handing over the bottle he had hanging from his belt. “Are you sure you should be telling me all of this? What if I go telling everyone about what he’s really like?”

Persephone paused, the bottle held in the river’s current. “You won’t.” There was something about her tone. It was sure…and sad.

“The price,” Sophus said. “Before we left. Hades said to you that there had to be a price.” He stopped and stepped away. “What’s going to happen to me?”

Persephone paused before looking up to meet Sophus’ worried gaze. She stood and capped the bottle.

“I wish you hadn’t heard that. It always makes things more difficult.”

“Please, tell me.”

“As long as you remain here, you will stay as you are. But once you take this bottle and leave, your voice and your memory will disappear, a double insurance that you won’t speak of what you saw.”

“I can swear to you that I would never-”

“That would not matter to him. Hades always demands a price for those who he allows to leave.”

Sophus looked at the bottle she cradled in her hands. “The water from Lethe?”

“There are a few drops on the outside of the bottle. I will carry it for you to the edge of this realm. Once you take it, your memory will be gone. And when you cross this threshold, your voice will be gone.”

“But you said I would see her again. You said I would have my opportunity.”

She smiled softly. “If she cares for you as much as you do for her, you’ll remember.” She tapped the bottle. “I’ve seen to that.”

“But I won’t remember her or how to find her. How will I even remember that I need to offer the water to Poseidon? There are so many variables.”

Persephone smiled as if she held a secret. “I believe you will find your way.”

“What else will I forget?”

“This part of the river is close to the source. It is strong. You will forget everything. But you have good friends. They will see you through.”

“Jason and Nic are still out there?” He hadn’t thought about his friends since he entered the cavern. How long had he been gone? One day? Two? Time seemed to pass so differently and he had no idea how long it had been since he entered the cavern.

Persephone said nothing but her face still held that secretive smile. 

“Shall we?” she said.

Sophus only nodded and she led him silently through the tunnels once more. Sophus could feel the distant gaze of creatures as they walked. He felt their hunger, they wanted him. But Persephone’s presence kept them at bay.

Even as they passed the gates, all eyes of those creatures turned to him. Centaurs and the woman with wings and the giant and all other creatures turned to him. Persephone held up a hand and they stopped in their tracks. But their eyes were hungry with the knowledge that a mortal was escorted out and they couldn’t even take a bite.

Just as the creatures began to fade from sight, Persephone stopped. “This is far as I can take you.”

The light at the end of the cavern could just be seen, a small dot in the distance. He realized that the air was lighter now, fresher. He stood a little taller. 

“Thank you for everything. But if my memory does return, wouldn’t Hades be upset?”

“Then I will speak to him. As long as people do not find out what happened down here, you should be fine. And that will be difficult because even if your memory does come back, your voice will remain gone.”

Persephone held out the bottle and Sophus could only stare at it. “I have one more question, if that’s alright.” She was silent and he took that as her approval. “Why does Poseidon want this water to begin with?”

“Well, I can’t say for certain but there are quite a few rumours that Amphitrite caught him with certain appendages where they don’t belong.”

“All of this so he can make his wife forget about an affair?”

“Well, Poseidon is not known for his nobility. But if you can get it to him, I’m certain he will break the curse on your friend.”

Sophus nodded and took the bottle from Persephone. As his fingers curled around it, Persephone spoke again. “Sophus, one more thing. Your father would want you to be happy in your own path.”

Before Sophus could process what she said, a flash of black filled his vision.


	9. Chapter 9

Nic paced the precipice, his eyes looking down every other second. 

“He won’t just appear because you keep staring at it,” Jason said.

“What else should I do? There’s not much else to do. And you are offering no help.”

“Because there’s nothing else we can do but wait.”

Nic huffed and sat at the edge. “I hate waiting.”

“We have been waiting for almost two days. I thought you would be used to it by now.”

“Clearly I am not used to it so just stop already.”

Jason paused, silence hung in the air. “Is it foolish to keep waiting? We should have already returned by now.”

“I don’t care what Sophus said. He has no idea what it’s like down there. I’m not leaving without that scrawny idiot.”

“If he never comes out, how long do we wait?”

Nic fell silent. He never wanted to consider that.

Then, he saw movement and it stumbled out of the cave.

“It’s him!”

Nic didn’t even wait to see if Jason heard him. He was already clambering down the rock face. Sophus fell to his knees in the current. He was disheveled and dirty and his hair stuck out every which way but by the Gods, he was alive. 

“You crazy bastard! You did it.” Nic didn’t even wait for Sophus to register that he was there. He just threw himself at his friend in the tightest hug. He turned back to yell at Jason, who was climbing down the rock face. “I told you. I told you he would make it out! Jason didn’t believe in you. Thought you died in there. But I knew better. Did you have to face Cerberus? Did you remember what I told you about fighting something bigger than you?”

Jason reached them, the water almost to his knees. “I don’t think a battle strategy like that would help in fighting the guard dog of the Underworld.”

“Maybe it did.” He pulled away, punched Sophus in the shoulder, and saw the bottle that he clutched tight in his hand. “Well, tell us. What happened? Is that it?”

Sophus finally looked up and Nic winced. His eyes were blank. No relief, no recognition, just…nothing. 

“Hey, what’s all this? Pretending like you don’t know us or something? That’s a stupid joke. Everyone knows I reign supreme in jokes. Sophus, come on.”

But Sophus only continued to stare blankly. 

“Water from the river Lethe,” Jason muttered. “Sophus said that it held forgetfulness.”

“No,” Nic said. “This is just a joke. And it’s a bad one, you idiot.”

Sophus’ expression changed from blank to confusion. He never was good at jokes, especially when he had to keep a straight face. 

Jason placed a hand on Nic’s shoulder and crouched next to him.

“Sophus, do you know who we are?”

Sophus tried to speak but all that escaped was a puff of air. He creased his brow and shook his head. 

“Do you know who you are?”

He seemed to think for a moment and shook his head again. He stared at the two men and pointed at them with a confused expression. 

“Your name is Sophus. My name is Jason. This is Nicophorous. We’re friends. We were waiting for you.”

Sophus stared at them and nodded. Not in understanding, but in a vague acceptance. 

“Yeah,” Nic said. “Because you are an idiot and had to go to the Underworld for a girl.”

“Nic, one thing at a time.”

Nic huffed but let Jason take over.

“Can you stand up? We should get out of the river.”

Sophus nodded, stood, and Nic and Jason helped him balance as they walked to the shoreline.

“Can you speak?”

Sophus opened his mouth but, again, only air escaped. 

Jason let out a breath that Nic suspected he was holding for quite a while. 

“What happened to your voice?” Nic said. 

Sophus looked away, as if he tried to remember but Jason cut in. “We should return back to the farm. If we leave now, we should be able to make it back before it gets dark.”

Sophus only stared but Nic patted him on the shoulder. “We’re going to take you home. Is that okay?”

Sophus looked back and forth between them and a long moment passed before Sophus nodded. 

The two helped him to the rock face and helped him to climb up when he seemed unsure. He stopped when he reached the top. He caught the attention of the other two, pointed at himself, and then pointed back at the cave. Nic found that he couldn’t say anything. He could only focus on the lost look on Sophus’ face. It was hard to look away from. 

“That’s a bit of a long story,” Jason said. 

As they walked, Jason slowly told the story of Astra and what they were there to do. Nic chimed in a few times but found that it was hard to tell someone their own story. Sophus’ face only became more and more confused as he attempted to absorb all of the information. A few times, Jason asked Sophus if he wanted to hear more and, every time, Sophus nodded. 

By the time they returned to town, Nic expected that Sophus’ head must be bursting with information. Before they could take the turn to the farm, Jason stopped them and looked at the bottle still in Sophus’ hand

“We should stop by Poseidon’s temple.”

“He’s exhausted! Are you trying to make it worse?”

“If Sophus really did succeed, we should offer that water to Poseidon right now. We should not have it sitting around for anyone to touch.”

Nic kicked a rock but didn’t say another word against it. 

They reached the temple and Jason instructed Sophus to place it at the base of the statue. The small clatter of clay against marble echoed in the temple and Nic held his breath, waiting for something to happen. He wasn’t sure what he expected. Perhaps a gust of wind or lightning but as Sophus placed it down and stepped back, nothing happened. 

“A load of good that did. You really think Poseidon will keep his promise?”

“I think it’s worth trying. Sophus, do you remember anything?”

Sophus shook his head and Nic felt a little more defeated. “Well, let’s head back to the farm.”

Sophus mouthed the word farm with a quizzical look.

“Yes,” Jason said. “Your family started an olive farm generations ago and when your father passed, you took it over. Would you like to see it?”

He nodded and Nic could only stare. How much more information could Sophus possibly take in?

As they stepped into the grove, Nic looked at Sophus expectantly, as if his memories would come rushing in at any moment. He waited for a look of recognition but it never came. 

The moon did not provide much light so walking among the trees would not be useful. Instead, they showed him his house. Again, Nic waited for that spark and that Sophus would laugh that he could ever forget his house and his friends. 

But still, nothing. 

He left Jason to show Sophus the rest of the house. It was too hard to watch his friend like this and he almost wished he hadn’t come back at all. 

But Sophus would have never let him forget it if he didn’t go. He was always stubborn like that. Stubborn about the farm, about seeing Astra…

Astra.

Surely, if anyone could trigger any memories it would be her, wouldn’t it? He certainly didn’t remember anything else. She was their best option.

Nic ran down the familiar path to the grotto. He ran past closed storefronts and the few stragglers on the street. He ran down to the water where Sophus’ raft was still tied to the dock. With quick, determined hands, he untied it and pushed off toward the grotto.

It had been years since he was there. The stone columns were the same as he remembered and childhood memories of games came back to his mind but he pushed them away.

He was here for a purpose and he was damn well going to see it through.

“Astra!” he called out. “I know we haven’t met but I’m a friend of Sophus. My name is Nic.” He paused, hoping she would appear from the tide. But the water remained unbroken. “He came back. He actually did the damn deed. I don’t know if you’re here or if it actually worked but you need to come out. He needs to see you. He touched the damn water and now he can’t remember anything. But maybe he’ll remember you.” Nic realized his voice was beginning to crack and the reality of the situation hit him. One of his best friends was back from the dead and could not remember the first thing about him. “Please. He needs you. We need you.”

Nic slumped over his knees. She had to be nearby. And he would wait all night in case she appeared.


	10. Chapter 10

The late morning sun woke Sophus from a sound slumber. It was a new day.

But he still remembered nothing.

He hoped when he awoke, memories would come flooding back. But the walls and ceiling he looked at were still just as unfamiliar as they were the previous night.

He wondered if Jason was still there. He said he would stay the night. He was truly hospitable, even in a place that was not his home. He offered Sophus more blankets and ensured that he knew where things were. Sophus nodded and remembered where some things were but his mind was already full to the brim with information. He tried to take it all in as much as he could but after Jason left him, he laid awake for hours, trying to make sense of it all.

When he exited that tunnel, he had no idea what to make of it all. He was on his knees, clutching a bottle as if his life depended on it. But he had no memory of why or what he was doing or even his own name.

Then Nic and Jason appeared almost out of nowhere. They seemed to know him and they seemed kind. And truly, what other choice did he have?

He was told about his life and that he was in the Underworld to break the curse on someone he cared about. But could she truly be that important to him if he couldn’t remember her?

But then, he couldn’t remember anyone, not even his own parents, so why would she be any different?

He climbed out of bed and walked around the room, which he was told was his but nothing seemed familiar. He wanted to explore it the previous night but his head was bursting with information and sleep was needed.

He brushed his fingers across items in the room. There was a table with an array of paintbrushes and books. Jason told him he was an artist but he didn’t know if he was even capable. He picked up the brush, trying to capture a sense of nostalgia but it felt foreign in his grip. There was a pencil and paper too and he took hold of the pencil. He stood poised over the paper, waiting for inspiration to strike but he felt nothing.

Shouldn’t a true artist feel inspiration everywhere? He put the pencil back down.

There was little of anything else in the room. A few pieces of clothing thrown over a chair, a few paintbrushes that fell to the floor, and a few modest pieces of jewelry that did not appear to be his. Did they belong to the woman Nic and Jason spoke of? He clutched a necklace in his hand and walked out of the room. Jason showed him the house last night and it was fairly straightforward.

His eyes, however, drifted to a door just outside of his room. Jason mentioned it was a closet but he hadn’t looked inside. His hand reached for it when he heard a door open and voices coming from the next room.

“Where did you disappear to?” It was Jason’s voice. It was good that their voices were so different. It made things easier.

Nic’s voice quickly followed. “To the grotto. Stayed there all night.”

Sophus crept closer, careful not to make a sound.

“Did you find…”

Silence fell. Whatever Nic went to find was apparently fruitless.

“Did any of his memory come back?”

“He’s been asleep all morning. Thought it would be best to let him get as much sleep as he needs.”

Sophus was flat against the wall now. He heard a scraping sound from the next room. He imagined that Nic pulled out a chair and was sitting down.

“What do you think happened in there?” Nic asked

“That things went completely wrong. But he still made it out with the water. Now I suppose we need to wait and see if Poseidon’s a man of his word.”

The curse they talked about. The water they left at the temple. He knew they were connected but he took in so much information the previous day that things didn’t quite click. The water was to break the curse on the girl he cared about. Okay, things were making a bit more sense. He recalled the conversation from the previous day and Jason told him the water was from Lethe, but that didn’t mean anything to him.

Nic scoffed. “I doubt it. He’s probably a miserable, stubborn bastard.”

“I think you may be right. But don’t go throwing those words around any closer to his temple.”

“I should. Maybe that will make me feel better.”

“Try and go back to the grotto this afternoon. Sophus always went around midday. Maybe she’ll be there this time.”

A loud pound echoed, startling Sophus.

“And maybe she won’t. Maybe her curse is lifted and she left.”

“She wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know that. We never even met her. She could have had Sophus under some kind of weird, sea creature spell.”

“You saw the drawings. She inspired him to draw again. How could a spell do that?”

Another pound. “We know nothing about her. How can you be so sure? Maybe she was working with Poseidon this whole time just to get that damned vial of water.”

Jason said nothing and Nic continued, his tone growing louder. “All I know is that Sophus is lying in there with no memory of anything. And I need to fix this!”

“Shhhh. You’ll wake him. And you can’t fix everything. Right now we just need to help him.”

“Or we find Poseidon and punch him in his stupid face.”

“Good luck with that.”

The two paused and Sophus took the opportunity to walk into the room as if he had not been listening by the entrance. Nic was out of his chair in a moment and his face was softer, more concerned than he sounded a moment ago.

“Hey. How are you?” Nic’s tone was bordering on pity and perhaps because he listened at the door, he could hear Nic’s unspoken words: _Did you remember anything?_

Sophus could only shrug and shake his head.

Jason was better at hiding his disappointment than Nic.

-

The afternoon came quickly. Jason had food prepared for Sophus and he ate it while Nic and Jason just stared at him. He knew he had to get away from the prying eyes that hoped his memories would come back any minute.

It helped that Nic left. Sophus assumed he went to the grotto he spoke of earlier. So Sophus took the time to walk through the olive grove. When Sophus asked what he did here, Jason told him about the olive grove and how it ran in the family. He walked around it, hoping it wold trigger something. They looked ripe so he plucked one from the branch, popped it in his mouth, and quickly spat it back out. It was soft and bitter and completely unappetizing.

He looked at each tree and tried to imagine something, anything. He didn’t know what his father looked like so he tried to picture an older version of himself tending to the trees. Or pruning them. He didn’t really know what needed to be done with them.

He walked around the grove for some time after, but nothing triggered any memories.

Dinner was much like lunch. The three men ate in mostly silence with a few too many looks in Sophus’ direction. When they began clearing up, Jason grabbed something from a cupboard and cleared his throat.

“Here,” he said, holding out a book to Sophus. “It got quite wet during your journey. I set it out to dry and thought you should have it back.”

Sophus thumbed through the pages. Horizons and sketches of people greeted him. Although he didn’t recognize anything, he still nodded his thanks.

Frankly, it was all getting to be a bit much. So he yawned and gestured toward his room.

The three said their goodnights and Sophus was alone again in his room. He was grateful for Jason and Nic. He truly was. But it was exhausting to keep up some kind of facade of being okay. He collapsed at the desk and flipped the pages of the notebook. It was his. The horizons and drawings of ships had some realism to them and he flipped through until he began seeing portraits of faces.

He recognized a few as Nic and Jason and there were others he did not recognize. Then he came upon numerous drawings of the same face. These portraits were different than the others. The only way he could think to explain it was that there was more care and attention put into them. And there were so many of them.

They were of a young woman with short hair, shaded in to create the effect of the light hitting it. She had kind eyes and a gentle smile. Could this be Astra?

He stared at the multitude of faces that greeted him, hoping that something would return to his mind.

But as the kind eyes on paper looked back at him, he felt nothing.

Unable to take any more of his mind playing against him, he collapsed into bed and surrendered himself to the lull of sleep.

Two more days passed much the same. Jason would tell Sophus more details about his life with a few interjections from Nic. They were gone for most of the third day, however. Workers tended to the harvest and Jason oversaw the gathering of the olives. Nic was present for some of the time but Sophus suspected that he was, again, down in the grotto he spoke of.

Sophus tried to follow him down to the water but, despite being so large and loud, Sophus quickly lost sight of him in the crowd in town.

Instead, Sophus walked through the grove again. Workers greeted him cautiously and he suspected Jason told them something.

He was polite and nodded back to them but when it became too much, he retreated back into the house. The noise from the workers faded and he was grateful for it. He settled at his desk, wondering if there was something he should do. He tapped his leg against the side of the desk and stared at the books. He supposed he could read one. At least it was something to entertain his mind and remove him from his current situation.

He was on page six of a story when his jostling leg knocked into the leg of the desk. He looked down and realized a drawer came loose that he didn’t know was there. The drawers blended in so well with the rest of the piece that he hadn’t noticed.

Inside, he found letters. Despite wanting respite from his lack of memories, he found himself pushing the book away. They were all from the same person, a man named Khalil. They seemed to have a strong bond. Khalil made a few jokes about books they supposedly both read. He told Sophus that his talents could be better utilized in Khalil’s kingdom. His talent? Was this Khalil referring to his art?

Sophus’ head threatened to burst again and he pushed away the letters. He needed to stand and move. He walked through the house and tried to remember where things were. He needed some kind of normalcy and remembering where things were helped. He found everything in the kitchen was where he suspected it to be. The other rooms had little in them and were rather straightforward.

He paused outside of the closet by his room. What was in this closet? He tried to remember what Jason told him but Sophus couldn’t recall any information so he pulled the door open.

It was mostly a haphazard pile of things that seemed to have no other place: a broken chair, a pile of blankets, clothing. Then, he noticed something on top, almost out of sight. A canvas?

He reached and pulled it down. He stared at it. It was of him at the water’s edge. There was a woman there too, in the water, with a long blue tail. And there were the same eyes and short hair as the woman in the sketches. But the painting wasn’t finished. It was half coloured and there seemed to be several layers of blue on her tail, as if it wasn’t quite right on multiple occasions.

“Sophus? Are you here?”

It was Jason, presumably there to check in on him. Sophus was tempted to stay hidden but something about the painting drew him in and he wanted answers. He knocked on the wall to let Jason know where he was.

“Do you want some lunch?”

Jason’s face appeared from around the corner and the flushed smile on his face faded when he saw what Sophus was holding.

“The painting. You found it.”

Sophus pointed to himself with a questioning look in his eyes.

Jason smiled gently and leaned against the wall. “You did. You were working on it for days. You said it was never quite right. After your fight with Astra, I thought you got rid of it.”

Sophus gestured to the closet.

“I should have known. You never were one to get rid of anything you drew. You drew her so many times in your notebook and then one day you realized that you needed something larger, with colour, to capture her properly.”

Sophus continued staring at the picture and attempted brushing motions with his hand.

-

Sophus gripped a brush in his hand. While it still felt foreign, there was something about the painting that calmed him.

The paint and easel were hidden in the closet as well. Jason helped him to pull it all out and get set up before returning outside.

He stared at the painting. The figure of himself was mostly done, as were the backgrounds and the stone the painted figure of himself stood on. But it was her. She was unfinished and he felt so compelled to finish her.

He mixed paint to an appealing blue, unsure if it was even the right shade and placed his brush to the canvas.

He still felt no memories return but the pressure of the brush on canvas seemed vaguely familiar so he continued.

It was hours later when Sophus realized how late it was but, somehow, he didn’t feel tired. The more he painted, the more invigorated he became.

A bit darker of a blue there, add some highlights for the light source. It was strange. He stared at the canvas and still remembered nothing but it was as if the more he painted, the more the skill came back to him. It was familiar, if a little distant but the brush felt more and more like it fit in his hand. He wasn’t actively thinking but instead, he let his muscles do the thinking for him.

He only realized it was morning because the sun shone through the window in his eyes. It paused him but only for a moment. It was coming together and all he had to do were the final details. His face contorted in concentration as his brush finished the final strokes. He stepped back to examine it.

He wasn’t sure if the skin tone was quite right or if he finally achieved the right blue. He also added the sign of Hermes on the woman’s forehead. He wasn’t sure why but it seemed to fit. He reached out towards it but stopped short when he remembered that the paint was still wet.

The mark of Hermes. Why did he add that?

An image came to mind. It was of the woman, her long tail swaying in the water. “Yes, my father is Hermes.”

The image disappeared almost as quickly as it came. But it was replaced by another one. And another

He had the girl by the wrists, demanding to know who she was.

He read aloud to an empty grotto.

He sketched her after he returned to land.

The way he felt when their shoulders brushed.

The memories came rushing back to him so quickly that he lost his balance and fell into the desk behind him.

As he tried to pick himself up again, there was a knock on his door. Probably Nic or Jason to see if he died.

Nic. Jason. He remembered them too. Images of his father came rushing back along with memories of Nic and Jason. The smile on his face grew until it reached his ears.

He remembered. He remembered everything and his eyes grew wet. He had never felt such relief in his life.

Then the door opened.


	11. Chapter 11

Astra swam, cutting through the water as fast as her tail would allow. She tried to swim faster than her pain and guilt. So far it had not worked.

It had been almost a week since she last saw Sophus and two days since she found his letter. That stupid, stupid, stupid man. Why would he go? It was a suicide mission.

She hoped he would decide otherwise. She hoped that his raft would appear again and they could continue as they had. It was fine. She had been content, happier than she had been in years.

But he hadn’t appeared, not in days. She took to staying in the grotto, waiting for the familiar underside of his raft to appear. She didn’t want to miss him. Then she found his letter and her worst fears were confirmed.

She wished she hadn’t said words in anger to him they last time they met. She wished she could have spoken more succinctly. He didn’t seem to understand the danger he would be in. In four decades, she heard stories and hearsay about things that happened when you were on the wrong side of a god. And sneaking into the Underworld was one sure way to anger Hades.

She tried to put it out of her mind but words from his letter kept running through her mind. Perhaps going back to reread it was not the best choice. But she needed him, even if her only option was his letter.

It was so lonely the last few days. She hadn’t realized the full impact he had on her life until he was gone. She tried again not to think about him but she got a lump in her throat and found it hard to breathe.

Except…this time it wasn’t figurative. She couldn’t breathe. She stopped and did the only thing she could think of, which was to swim towards the surface.

As she broke the surface of the water, she coughed and sputtered until the water was gone from her throat. The fresh air was a relief but she couldn’t understand why. She tried to think if she had done anything odd. Was something trapped in her throat?

She contemplated other possibilities but her attention was distracted when she realized she was sinking in the water. She forced her tail to kick harder but felt a strange sensation when she did so. She looked down and realized that her tail was gone. It was gone and instead she saw human legs kicking to keep her afloat.

Her head was swimming. She had legs. She was human again. That meant…that meant Sophus succeeded.

She kicked harder, swaying her arms back and forth to keep herself above water. It was too much to keep herself afloat and consider Sophus’ success at the same time. She pushed all her energy into swimming. She had to make it to shore before she could logically think this through.

It was a clear night and the moon was bright, giving her enough light to see by. She followed the edge of the cliff until she came around to the shore.

After pulling herself through the water, which was much harder than she remembered, she hauled herself to shore, crawling over the rocks. She stopped in the shallows next to a large boulder to gather her thoughts. She was human again. Her curse was broken. There was no other explanation.

She was wearing a dress. The same one, in fact, that she wore on the day she was cursed. It tightened around her that day and morphed into the tail she lived with for so many years. But she paid no attention to the dress. She could only stare down at her legs. It wasn’t a trick, these were her legs, right down to the scar on her left knee that she forgot she even had.

She took her time to wiggle her toes, bend her knees, and lift them up off the ground one by one. They seemed fully functional. There was only one test left. She gripped the rock beside her and pulled herself to her feet. Her knees shook as she put pressure on them but she breathed through it.

She adjusted and steadied herself. With one hand still on the boulder, she took a cautious step. She stumbled but held her ground. One by one, she took steps around the boulder until she didn’t need the crutch. She winced at the rocks pushing into her feet but it couldn’t dim the smile on her face. She was walking. She had legs again.

Sophus really had succeeded.

Which meant that he was still alive.

Her knees buckled at the thought and she sunk back down to the rocks. How did she miss that connection?

She had to find him. Now. But where?

She reviewed what she knew about him that could help. The olive farm. He said that his olives were the best in the region. She hoped he wasn’t exaggerating about their popularity. Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to find the best olive farm in the region.

She would simply have to ask around. Surely someone would know.

Before she could think of any flaws in this plan, she hoisted herself back to her feet and climbed up the path. She lifted her heavy, soaked dress up past her ankles but she ignored the weight of it. Each stone pushed into her feet but she ignored it. The cold wind bit into her wet skin but she ignored it. All that mattered was getting into town and finding Sophus.

She pushed and trudged up the hill. Her newly restored legs screamed in protest but she continued until she reached the top.

Town was quiet. It was similar to how she remembered it but she couldn’t be bothered with new decorations or new buildings. All she could notice was how quiet it was.

But of course it would be. The moon was high and the townsfolk were likely in bed. So where could she start?

She looked around, hoping for something, some kind of clue to where Sophus may be. Her head grew fiery and she clutched it. But it didn’t help the dizziness that quickly filled her vision. Then, everything went dark.

-

Astra awoke warm and bundled. She struggled to open her eyes and when she did, she found a roaring fire and so many blankets on her that she wondered if she could move them. The sun was bright through the windows and she wondered where she was and how long she had been asleep.

She could hear clattering from the next room but she couldn’t register much more. Her head was pounding but she still needed answers. The last thing she remembered was walking through town, trying to find where Sophus may live.

She pulled away the blankets but knocked over a cup in the process. The clattering from the next room stopped and a woman stepped into the room. She was tall and brunette, with her hair pulled back.

“You’re awake! Thank the Gods.” Despite Astra’s struggle to get out of bed, the woman pushed her back down. “Be careful. You shouldn’t be going anywhere in your state. Even just for a walk around the room.”

Astra tried to fight but her arms felt heavy and the bed was comfortable. Instead, she settled for, “Where am I?”

The woman pounded her chest with a fist. “My home. My name is Melaina. I found you outside last night. You must have passed out and your body is burning up. I brought you back here so you could warm up. What were you doing out there soaking wet in that dress?”

“It’s a…it’s a long story.”

Melaina crouched, picked up the cup, and dabbed at the spill with a piece of cloth.

“I’m so sorry about that.”

“Not to worry. You’re ill. And badly so. You’ll need to stay in that bed for a few days.”

Ill. That explained it. Under her curse, she never grew ill. She wasn’t sure if it was part of the curse or something else entirely. Then Melaina’s words registered.

“A few days? I can’t wait that long."

Astra pushed herself up again but Melaina patiently urged her back down. “You are not going anywhere running that fever. I could cook soup on your forehead.”

“But I need to see someone.”

“You can see them when you get better. Now, you should really eat something. I imagine you haven’t eaten much of anything.”

Before Astra could protest, Melaina pushed a plate of food at her and instructed her to eat. Astra pushed herself to more of a sitting position, the blankets falling down and Astra realized she was naked under all of the blankets.

“Oh yes. Sorry about that. It was a bit counter-productive to keep you in that dress, seeing as it was dripping wet. It was the best way to get you warm. I washed it and it’s drying now. I hope you don’t mind too much.”

It was the first time in decades that Astra was separated from that dress. It was, in a way, freeing. Free. She was truly free.

“No. I don’t mind at all,” she said, tugging the blankets back up. “Thank you. You saved my life.”

Melaina smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, you should eat.”

-

It was two days before Melaina would even let Astra leave the bed. Astra was force fed food and tea and slowly opened up to Melaina. She proved quite easy to be with, more than she would have expected after having only Sophus for any kind of company. Despite her head pounding and muddled speech, Melaina made the best of it and, if she didn’t understand, she would pretend as if she had and answer back. It was sweet and endearing.

“Okay,” Melaina began. “I suppose that today you can have a bit of a walk.”

Astra smiled and handed back her bowl. “There’s an olive farm-”

“Nice try. But I was thinking a walk around the room. It’s still rather cold out and I don’t want you ruining the progress I made with you.”

Astra placed her feet down gingerly on the floor and with a little help from Melaina, she walked around the room. Once Astra had been a bit more conscious, Melaina lent her simple clothes to help keep in the warmth. They, of course, were entirely too large for her but they kept her warm.

“You’re getting better. I can understand what you’re saying now. Maybe we can get you to that olive farm sooner than I hoped.” There was a grin on Melaina’s face that Astra couldn’t quite understand. “You have mentioned that olive farm a few times in the last few days but I doubt that you would remember.” Melaina cleared away a few other small dishes that accumulated. “So what could possibly be so special about an olive farm?”

Astra blushed and almost tripped. “Someone very special who deserves my thanks.”

“Well, if you keep improving, you may see him soon.”

Astra gasped and looked around the room. “I am so sorry. I haven’t been disturbing anyone else in the house with my illness, have I?”

“You don’t need to worry. It’s only me here.”

“Oh.”

Melaina laughed. “Well there’s no need to look at me with so much pity. I’m just fine. Perhaps if I find someone who isn’t intimidated by a woman who’s taller and just as strong as they are, they will catch my interest.”

“That’s very progressive of you.”

“I do what I can. And I make enough selling my handiwork.”

“And here I am eating your food and sleeping in…” she gasped again. “Have I been sleeping in your bed?”

“I’m tough. A few blankets on the floor and I’m just fine. And I suspect you need the rest more than I do.”

“But still, you-”

“Astra. I’m fine. It’s been quite nice having you. And what is a home and food if not to share it with others?”

Astra grew silent. “Thank you. I am forever in your debt.”

“You can thank me by getting better.”

-

The next day, Astra was fully alert and spoke with Melaina for most of the day while she prepared her goods for the market. Astra insisted she needed to stop talking and focus but Melaina only laughed her worries away.

As they finished dinner and Melaina cleared away the plates, she gave Astra a knowing glance.

“What was that for?

“You’re improving faster than I expected. Perhaps tomorrow we could go to that olive farm you spoke of.”

Astra’s smile was the widest Melaina had ever seen it.

“Really? You would let me go?”

“If you’re feeling this well tomorrow, I won’t hold you down in that bed anymore.”

“Thank you Melaina. How long would it take to get there? Could we leave at first light?”

“I think that’s a bit ambitious but alright. We’ll leave at first light. Now,” she continued, sitting on the bed beside her, “tell me about this special man of yours.”

Astra blushed. “He’s kind and patient and intelligent. I haven’t seen him in some time. He helped me in a rather rough situation. I owe him my thanks.”

“He sounds rather romantic. Have you kissed him yet?”

Astra held up her hands defensively. “We don’t have that kind of relationship. He was just doing me a kind favour.”

As she said those words, Astra could hear her own hypocrisy. A kind favour was picking up something from the market for her. Not forging into the Underworld itself. But he did and she could never repay him for that.

Melaina laughed. “You have been asking me about going to an olive farm for days now. You’re in love with him aren’t you?”

“I…I…”she trailed off. She knew the word love. She remembered the love she had for her mother but what she felt towards Sophus was different.

All of that time spent with him flashed through her mind. She hoped to only have someone who could keep her company. Was it possible that she could love him too?

“How about you start from the beginning?” Melaina offered.

-

It was only because of the lavender tea Melaina gave her that Astra found any sleep that night. She told Melaina about Sophus as much as she could without stories of curses and sea creatures. Instead that they were separated by complicated circumstances. Even after her story and Melaina’s questions, the word love hovered in Astra’s mind. Logically, he must love her to go to the Underworld. That’s what the storybooks always said. Did she truly love him too? Years of solitude blocked her from those feelings. But as she drifted to sleep, her mind answered yes and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

She awoke to the sun bright in her eyes. Once she acclimatized to her surroundings, she realized the day and quickly rose.

“And how are you feeling?”

Astra jumped at Melaina’s voice to see her coming out of the next room.

“I’m feeling wonderful.”

Melaina cast her a doubtful look. But she felt her forehead, looked into her eyes, and declared her fit to finally leave the house.

“But first, you need to put on at least one more layer of clothing. The winter chill has been creeping in here.

Astra agreed, even if it did set her behind. Once she was layered to Melaina’s satisfaction, they set out.

Astra’s heart beat faster as they left the house. Despite the early hours, there were a surprising amount of people out and about and Astra realized she hadn’t been surrounded by this many people in decades. She clutched Melaina’s arm to help ground her.

They were warm and friendly and greeted Melaina as they passed but it still didn’t calm Astra down. She suspected she had some adjusting to do.

Fortunately, they left some of the more beaten tracks and arrived at a long path. At the end, she could just see a house. Her heart beat faster again.

“Is this the olive farm you’re searching for?”

“I…I’m not sure.”

“Well, this farm does have the best olives so I think it’s a good place to start.”

“Would you come with me?”

“Of course. You can take my arm again if you like.”

“I’m sorry. I should have asked. It’s just that-”

“Astra, you don’t need to apologize.” Melaina held out her arm and Astra clutched it to keep herself from passing out.

Astra continued to pause at the beginning of the path. Her heart beat faster and the same question from the previous night echoed in her mind. _Did she love him?_

Her breathing got faster and her knees began to shake. But the thought of seeing him again urged her onwards.

They walked past dozens of trees and Astra marveled at them. Sophus’ trees. Trees he cared for and tended to, all for his father.

“Well?” Melaina asked.

Astra snapped out of her reverie and realized they were at the door.

Melaina raised her fist to knock but Astra grabbed her hand. “Wait, I have no idea what I’ll say.”

“What are you talking about?” she said, grinning, “You had the whole path up here to think about that.” She pulled her hand free and knocked on the door.

“Melaina, how could you do that?”

“Because, on occasion, you need to jump in all at once.”

Astra was still hissing remarks at Melaina when the door opened.

Astra stood straighter than she ever had.

But it wasn’t Sophus. The man behind the door was tall and broad, with long dark curls.

“Astra?” the man asked, utter disbelief in his voice and on his face.

She took a step back but Melaina held her strong. “How do you know my name?”

“Sophus’ drawings.”

Astra’s legs shook. “Is he here?”

“Come in.” The two entered and the man surveyed them as they walked past. “You’re a tough one to find, you know that?”

“She’s had a rough few days,” Melaina said, patting Astra’s arm.

“I’m Nicophorous but call me Nic.”

Astra looked around her, taking in his home. “It’s nice to meet you.” Silence fell over them and Astra couldn’t contain herself any longer. “Where is he?”

He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. “He’s in his room.” Astra took a step forward but Nic held up his other hand. “But there’s something you should know first.”

There was sadness in his eyes.

“What is it?”

Nic sighed. “I don’t suppose there’s a gentle way to say this. He lost his voice. And his memory.”

“Lethe,” Astra breathed. It was as if it was her last and she had trouble breathing.

Melaina held her tall and kept her buckling over. But Astra pushed past it and forced herself to take a deep breath.

“I still want to see him.”

Nic stepped aside and allowed her to pass. Astra passed into the hall and heard clattering from behind a door. She knocked. She wanted to help him, even if he had no idea who she was. And it hit her. She truly loved him. Of course she did. She remembered the joy she felt when she realized he must still be alive. She crawled out of the sea and limped along sharp rocks in a sick haze just to find him. She loved him and she needed to see him. Leaving all doubts and fears behind, she pushed forward and opened the door.

Astra’s breath caught in her throat. He was there. He was in a slightly tangled mess in front of a desk but he was there.

She remembered Nicophorous’ words and decided to take it slow. He didn’t remember. She looked away, trying to find the words. What she didn’t notice was how Sophus looked at her as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world.

She breathed slowly, trying to keep herself strong so that when she saw the inevitable blank look in his eyes, she wouldn’t be too disappointed. “Hello. I know you don’t remember me so I thought it best I should introduce myself.”

As she spoke, he scrambled to his feet, seeing how her eyes threatened to cry. She was more beautiful than he remembered. He stepped towards her, wondering how he could make her understand that he knew, that he remembered her.

Before she could say another word, he took her hand and smiled. Her mouth opened and she took a cautious step back, unsure of what was happening. He still couldn’t speak but he hoped she would understand.

He pointed to her and mouthed her name.

Her tears gave way. “You remember me?”

He nodded.

“How? When?”

Memories of his time with Persephone came back to his mind and Sophus wondered how he could explain it without words. He grabbed a scrap of paper and pulled her to see what he wrote.

_It_ _’s a bit of a long story. But I will have to tell you a bit later._

Astra looked from the paper back to him. “Why?”

He knew she was introverted, shy, and only began to be comfortable with his touch when they last parted ways. Which is why he was as gentle as he could be when he pulled her in to kiss her.

Sometimes words weren’t quite enough.


	12. Chapter 12

It was almost two weeks later and five joyous people sat around the table. Astra and Sophus sat close together, his arm wrapped tenderly around her waist. Jason passed out the food, which Nic grabbed first, of course. But he could only use one hand because his other was wrapped around the woman sitting next to him.

It turned out that while Astra and Sophus were reuniting, Nic and Melaina began talking. They got along well, it turned out, because she came to the olive farm after work ended every day since.

The last few days were a rush of energy and excitement with hardly a quiet moment to be found.

He and Astra talked all day after their reunion. Well, Astra talked and Sophus had to find different ways to communicate. A mixture of paper, gestures, and short sentences through mouthing words got them through.

He explained his story as well as he could, considering Persephone’s warning. And that was all Astra needed. She didn’t need to know what Hades was like or the creatures that guarded the Underworld. All she needed to know was that he came out through the aid of someone who saw worth in fighting for him.

Over the next few days, they talked more. They talked about their favourite books and Sophus showed her the trees, and then they talked about what they planned to do now. And the decision they came to was the reason Astra summoned everyone’s attention.

“Can I have your attention everyone.” Three curious pairs of eyes turned to her and Sophus gripped her hand for support.

“Oh,” Nic said. “Are you giving speeches now? Quite a bold departure.”

Melaina smacked his shoulder and he winced dramatically. “What were going to tell us?”

“Well, Sophus and I have discussing a few things recently and we thought you should all know.” The looks they gave her realized that she certainly gave them the wrong impression with her words. “What I mean to say is that…we’re going to be leaving.”

The table erupted into a chorus of arguments and against her and Sophus had to calm them down with a stern gesture and an intense stare.

“It’s possible that Poseidon is still upset about how everything happened. Being so close to his domain was putting us both on edge and we wondered if he would try to exact revenge. If we move farther inland, we’ll be away from his influence.”

“But, if he wanted revenge, he would have done it by now.”

Astra shook her head. “Not necessarily. While he can be…overzealous, he can be patient when he wants to be. I heard a few stories during my curse.”

“So…you have to leave?” Melaina asked. “Is there no other option?”

“We don’t believe there is.” Astra’s lip began to quiver. She couldn’t imagine how attached she became to these people in such a short time. Sophus squeezed her hand, encouraging her on. “This way, we’ll be safe from his reach.”

“Where will you go?” Jason asked.

“Sophus has written to his friend in the desert, Khalil, to see if he will have us. He responded yesterday that he would send a carriage as soon as he was able. It should be here in a few days.”

“Well, then make room,” Nic demanded. “We’re coming with you.”

Sophus shook his head and Astra squeezed his hand. “He thought you might say that. And the answer is no. And that’s because he needs you two to look after the farm.”

“What?”

“You have been running it since Sophus came back. No one knows it better than you two and he can think of no one better to keep his father’s legacy alive.”

Nic glared. “You stupid, sentimental idiot.”

Sophus grabbed a scrap of paper but looked up to grin back at him.

But the tension was cut when Jason piped in. “Are you sure? It was your father’s legacy. You have always been protective of it.”

They all watched as Sophus wrote but he cupped his other arm around to block their view. Then he passed it to Jason to read aloud.

“‘I’m sure. I suppose it took me all this time to realize that my father’s path wasn’t the only one I had to follow. And don’t be idiots. Harvest properly. You waited for me so long that the last of the olives ripened too much and got soft.’

“Well pardon us for waiting for outside of the Underworld so you could come home.”

“How did you even know?” Nic said. “We harvested the rest of them before you got your memories back.”

Sophus mimed grabbing an olive from thin air and putting it in his mouth.

“You ate an olive straight from the tree?” Nic asked, aghast. “No wonder it was terrible. Even in a memory loss state, I would never have expected you to be that stupid.”

Sophus glared at Nic before turning his attention back to Jason and motioning for him to continue.

“‘But, regardless of that, I trust you both. And I know that you two will keep the farm alive and thriving just as well as I could. And send olives along so I know you’re still preparing them properly.’”

“You just said that you trusted us!” Nic reached out to punch Sophus but couldn’t quite reach. “And you want us to prove ourselves?”

It was clear that it was in jest and all three men smiled as they fought. Astra, meanwhile, motioned for Melaina to follow her so they could get away from the noise.

Astra closed the door and was surprised to find herself tearing up. Eventually, Melaina heard the whole story, cursed sea creature and all. And Astra was grateful for it.

Melaina pulled Astra into a hug. “If things don’t work out with Nic, I’ll leave immediately and come to be with you.”

Astra laughed between tears. They stayed like that for some time.

When Astra’s tears ran dry, she pulled away but kept hold on Melaina’s hands. “Thank you. You have been the most wonderful friend when I needed it the most. I know we haven’t known each other very long but your friendship has meant the world to me”

“I’ll see if I can pull that big idiot out to visit you.”

“I would love that.”

“And we should plan a few more things to do before you leave.”

“Only a few more days,” she said, her tears threatening to fall again.

Yes, only a few more days before her new life began.

-

Sophus adjusted his position. Almost a week in the same carriage was beginning to take its toll and it was becoming harder to get comfortable.

Astra sat across from him, asleep. Whenever his annoyance or pain got to be too much, all he had to do was look at her face and he knew he made the right decision. Astra was right. Persephone was right. His father would have wanted him to pursue his own path.

Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a small yawn. “Was I asleep?”

Sophus nodded and offered her an olive.

The days flew by leading up to their departure. The carriage was two days later than expected due to inclement weather and Astra and Sophus were both grateful for it.

Their transportation arrived and after a good night sleep for the driver, they found themselves packing the last of their things. Goodbyes between the three men were full of playful punches on Nic’s part and advice from Jason. Melaina handed Astra a handkerchief embroidered with flowers and a small blue fish.

They were on their way before long and both waved from the carriage until their friends disappeared from sight. It was something Sophus would always remember and treasure.

Nic and Jason were true to the promise Sophus held them to and secured an entire barrel of olives to the carriage with the promise to send more as they were ready.

Astra nibbled on the food and once she fully woke up, Astra pulled a book from beside her and opened it.

“Now, where were we?”

Sophus smirked at her. She knew exactly where they left off.

Before Astra could begin, the driver’s voice could be heard. “We’ll be there by nightfall, sir.”

It was strange to hear him be addressed so formally. But he would have to be accustomed to it. Khalil insisted that he be his personal, and most desired artist.

“Do you think there will be anyone there who speaks Greek?”

Sophus wrote on a nearby sheet of paper and passed it to her.

_I understand Khalil recently took a bride. She speaks four languages, if memory recalls. And if Khalil can speak Greek, I_ _’m sure some others will too._

“Sir, the kingdom has just come into view.”

Astra and Sophus pulled open the window and looked out.

The desert was wide and sprawling and hot. There wasn’t a body of water in sight. Civilization could just be seen on the horizon but it would still be several hours before they arrived. Sophus gently pulled both of them back inside and mimed flipping pages at Astra.

She smiled. “I suppose we do need a way to pass the time.” She picked the book back up again. As she read, Sophus pulled another piece of paper and, after writing something, passed it to her.

_Do you still believe that stories of high adventure and romance is something of fantasy?_

Astra smiled, a bit teasing. “I suppose they have a bit more merit now.”

Without letting him interrupt again, she returned to the book. Her voice was soothing and he knew the time would fly by until they reached their destination.

And whatever lie ahead, they would face it together.


End file.
